US2950577A

US2950577A - Sickle sharpener

Info

Publication number: US2950577A
Application number: US704816A
Authority: US
Inventors: Floyd H Shadle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-12-23
Filing date: 1957-12-23
Publication date: 1960-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-30

Description

Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE 2,950,577

SICKLE SHARPENER Filed Dec. 23, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Floyd h! Shad/e INVEN TOR.

Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE 2,950,577

SICKLE SHARPENER Filed Dec. 23, 195? a Sheets-Sheet. 2

Fig.2

Floyd 1-). Shad/e mmvron.

BY awn Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE SICKLE SHARPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 23, 1957 F/ayd H. Shad/e IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent SICKLE SHARPENER Floyd H. Shadle, Minatare, Nebr.

Filed Dec. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,816

12 Claims. (Cl. 51-56) This invention relates to an improved sickle sharpener adapted to sharpen a sickle or other similar blade quickly and with precision.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of a precision sickle sharpener which employs a cup-stone precision grinder wheel rather than a V-stone grinder as is conventionally used.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a precision sickle sharpener which employs a cupped-stone which is so arranged that the bevel provided on the cutting teeth of a sickle may be readily adjusted and in which the sickle stays in the machine during the entire sharpening operation eliminating the usually tiring job of handling the sickle blade manually.

One of the features of the invention lies in the means for indexing the sickle blade as it is moved successively along the stand so that one tooth at a time may be readily sharpened on either side of the tooth. An additional feature of the invention lies in the fact that pressure of the stone is applied with a touch of the hand into the edge and the sickle is not placed against the stone thereby enabling better control of the sharpening process. A stone of relatively soft material is employed to avoid burning the section of the sickle blade being sharpened.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a precision sickle sharpener'that may be used as either a stationary or portable unit, will conveniently and rapidly sharpen sickle blades of any make and any length as desired, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture thereby permitting wide use and distribution.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this sickle sharpener, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sickle sharpener comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of'the invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the sickle sharpener;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail View in an enlarged scale as taken along the plane of line 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a partial plan view illustrating the manner in which the grinder is used to grind the edges of a sickle;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a portion of the sickle showing the indexing means for moving the sickle in detail;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 83 in Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 99 in Figure 8.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the improved sickle grinder comprising the present invention which includes a stand 12 including spaced legs as at 14 and 16 and a brace leg work assembly 18 of any suitable configuration as desired which carries a shaft 20 which extends upwardly therefrom. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 20 is a motor mounting assembly 22 which includes a sleeve 24 rotatable about the shaft 20 and a brace 26 supported on the assembly 22 and rotatable with respect thereto which is fixed to the stand 12 for support thereof.

The stand 12 is adapted to support a sickle blade 28 thereon. A pair of

clamp members

32 and 34 are provided and are used to hold the blade 28 on the stand 12. Each of these clamp members includes a channel member 36 fixed to the stand 12. Engaging members 40 are carried by brackets 4-2 which brackets and engaging members 4! are urged by a screw-type wing-headed clamp fastener 44 towards the longitudinally extending member of the stand 12, the tension on the engaging member 40 being adjusted by the tension provided on the springs 46 due to the position of the head of the fastener 44.

There is provided means for automatically indexing and positioning the blade 28 so that successive teeth thereof may be engaged by the grinder of this sickle sharpening machine. This indexing means can be best seen in Figures 1, and 7-9 and includes a triangular shape indexing member 48 which is resiliently urged by a spring 54} seating within a recess 52 therein into an upper position relative to an indexing assembly 54 including a shaft 56 which extends through the plates 58 and 60 of the indexing assembly, the plates being held in spaced relationship by fasteners 62 and 64 and spacers 66 and 68. The fasteners 62 and 6 extend upwardly and are engageable within a slot 76 in the stand 12. An operating handle 72 is attached to the indexing assembly 54 for movement thereof. The slot 70 is precisely of the size that movement of the lever 72 will cause the head of the fastener 64 to abut that portion of the stand 12 limited by the end of the slot '70 thus indexing and positioning the blade 28 which has been urged into motion through the engagement of the triangular block 48 between adjacent teeth thereof. Of course, for different size blades and difierent size teeth, different indexing assemblies '54 having different spaces between the fasteners 62 and 64 are provided.

The motor mounting assembly 22 includes a cylindrical support 84) in which a cylindrical mounting head 82 is hingedly attached as at 85 and latched into place as at 87. Carried by the head 82 are a pair of

cylindrical guides

84 and 86 which, see Figure 4, are engageable by rollers 88 and 29 mounted in the

members

94 and 96 of a slide 98. The slide 98 has a bracket 1% adjustably secured thereto as by fasteners 101 on either side thereof which bracket lot carries a motor 152 of conventional construction. The motor 1G2 drives a pulley 1G4.

The slide 98 includes a bracket 110. A rod 112 is fixed to the bracket 110. The rod 112 extends through the bracket 116 and its uppermost position is limited by the head 114 thereof. The other end of the bracket is fixed toa grinder assembly 116 including a pulley wheel 118 for rotating shaft 129 on which the grinder head l22is mounted. The endless belt 124 whichisentrained about the pulley 104 is also entrained about the pulley 118 for rotating the shaft 120 and hence the grinder head 122. The spring 113 normally urges the grinder assembly and hence the grinder head 122 into a raised position. In order to lower the grinder head, there is provided a first arm 126 which is bifurcated as at 128 and which receives between the bifurcations thereof the fulcrum portion of an operating lever 132 which is pinned to the bifurcations as at 130 in a pivotal manner. The end 134 of which is pivotally pinned as at 136 to the bifiircated portion 138 ofjan arm 140, the other endof which isisecured to the bracket 110. Hence, the downward motion of the operating lever#132 will serve to depress the grinder head 122 into engagement with the k teeth of the sickle bar. There is provided means for aligning the grinder head 122 with the teeth successively at a desired angular position of the grinder head 122 and at opposite angular inclinations for the opposite sides of the tooth. v

The grinder assembly 116 includes a shaft 142 which 7 has 'afiixed thereto a latching member 144 including a spring operated plunger 146 which is adapted to extend into the

apertures

148 or 150 provided in the plates indexing plate 160 fixed to the slide 98. Indexing indicia as at 164 and 166 is provided for adjusting the angle of the bevel to 20 degrees, 2 2 /2 degrees, 25 degrees-or any other common bevel angle for sickle teeth. In order to position the slide during the grinding opi eration there is provided a handle 200.

This improved sickle sharpener functions very efficiently and can'be set up for sharpening quite quickly. First, the sickle is placed on the stand 12 and the grinder head 122 is positioned for grinding the right hand sides of the teeth. The sickle bar is carried through the machine by means of the indexing arrangement and the grinder assembly may then be pivoted to the opposite side for grinding the other side of the teeth. The setting of the bevel is accomplished by placing va sickle bar in the machine and then adjusting the

plates

152 and 154 to the desired angle.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those. 'skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sickle blade sharpener of the type having a support stand adapted to support a sickle blade, an assembly, including a motor drivingly connected to a grinder wheel 'supporting'shaft, mounted on said stand, and an indexing means for longitudinally positioning the blade on the'stand' in relation to the grinder wheel; said indexing means comprising a triangular shaped member adapted to be' positioned in the openings between each pair of teeth of a sickle blade, said member having side portions adapted to abut the confronting cutting edges of said pair of teeth and means mounting said indexing means ion said stand for longitudinal sliding movement between a first and second limit position, said positions defining the distance between the openings of adjoining teeth,

means for lowering said indexing member to a position 'below said first limit position registering with one of said openings, and longitudinally of said stand to said second limit position below and registering with, the open- 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said stand '152 and

154'secured'by fasteners

156 and 158 to a g has a horizontal section with a slot therein, said mounting means comprising a pair of horizontal plates slidably mounted on said stand, said plates being in spaced relation and disposed above and below said section, spacers mounted between said plates and disposed for movement in said slot.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the ends of said slot define the distance between said limit positions.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said lowering means comprises a handle having one end pivotally mounted on the underside of said stand for movementabout a vertical and along a horizontal axis, with said indexing means mounted on a shaft slidingly received through said plates, and with the lower end of said shaft secured to said handle whereupon downward movement of the other end of said shaft will lower and disengage said indexing means from one opening between pairs of teeth below said blade, and the horizontal movement of said last mentioned end will position said indexing means below the opening between an adjoiningpair of teeth.

5. The combination of claim 4 including means for pivotally mounting said assembly on said stand for movement about a vertical axis.

6. The combination of claim 5 including means for pivotally mounting said grinder wheel shaft for movement about an axis extending transversely of said shaft between first and second limit positions. Y 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said last men- 'tioned limit positions define the angles at which'opposite sides'of said teeth will be ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limit positions.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said assembly includes a first section which supports said motor and said grinder shaft, and a second section which is pivotally connected to said stand, said first section being slidably mounted on said second section whereby said grinder wheel and shaft may be moved transversely of said blade and longitudinally along the cutting edges of said teeth. 9. The combination of claim 1 including means for pivotally mounting said assembly on said stand for movement about a vertical axis.

10. The combination of claim 1 including means for pivotally mounting said grinder wheel shaft for movement about an axis extending transversely of said shaft between first and second limit positions.

' 11. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last mentioned limit positions define the angles at which opposite sides of said teeth will be ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limit positions.

l2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last mentioned limit positions define the angles at which opposite sides of said teeth will be ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limit positions, said assembly including a first section which supports said motor and said grinder shaft, and a second section which is pivotally connected to said stand, said first section being slidably mounted on said second section whereby said grinder wheel and shaft may be moved transversely of said blade and longitudinally along the cutting edges 'of said teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Netherlands July 15, 1939