US3457681A - Sanding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1969 1... P. ADAMS SANDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. .17, 1965 FIG.3

I N VENTQR. LESTER P. ADAMS FIG. 4

United States Patent 3,457,681 SANDING APPARATUS Lester P. Adams, 216 Woodbine St., High Point, NC. 27260 Filed Aug. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 480,270 Int. Cl. B24b 7/00, 9/00 US. CI. 51-59 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the furniture industry, one of the most expensive and generally unsatisfactory operations in the manufacture of ornamental furniture has heretofore been the forming of preselected or desired recesses on the exposed wooden surfaces of such furniture to embellish its appearance and attractively accentuate its lines. The almost universal practice in this regard has been to sand by hand or to manually manipulate and operate a motor-driven sander to form the desired recesses according to the skill of the particular operator.

The obvious drawbacks to such procedures are apparent since only a highly skilled sander can effectively manipulate a hand-power tool so as to achieve exacting alignment and depth control over the recesses to be formed. Additionally, the operation is by necessity an expensive and time-consuming one since the extreme care required to achieve such precision precludes any attempt to rapid production. The present invention eliminates this heretofore expensive and time-consuming operation and provides an economically sound and reliable approach to this problem resulting in substantial increase in production output.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an automatic sanding machine wherein ornamental recesses may be formed with precision and accuracy to a degree not heretofore available.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic sanding machine that will replace the heretofore required operator to achieve ornamental recesses in furniture or other goods.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic sanding machine that may be conveniently positioned at any desired location for effective, reliable and accurate use.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an automatic sanding machine that is rugged in construction, simple in operation and economical in cost and that may be quickly disassembled for maintenance and replacement of parts.

Yet still another object of this invention is to provide an automatic sanding machine wherein the sanded recess may be shaped by the design of the abrading surface as the furniture manufacturer may elect.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like characters of reference designate like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the automatic sanding machine illustrating a casing or housing carrying a reciprocating abrader for sanding a selectively dimensioned-recess;

FIG. 2 is an exploded and enlarged perspective view of the reciprocator, abrader support member and abrader surface which are reciprocably carried by the casing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an ornamental furniture leg displaying preshaped recesses formed by use of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, side elevational, cross-sectional view of the reciprocator, abrader support member and sanding means showing their assembly in final form and the positioning of the sanding means for operation against an ornamental furniture leg.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a base member or Working surface generally designated 10 upon which there is rigidly secured and held to a casing or housing 12 by means of a plurality of retaining lugs 14 and securing bolts 16 firmly holding casing 12 to base 10 at a preselected position.

A sander 18, adapted to carry conventional sanding means 20, such as sandpaper or emery cloth which are secured to the sander by flanges 22 and screws 24, is retained by a support member 26 and consequently moves in unison with that member. A reciprocator 28 is slidably mounted along an inside wall of casing 12 for movement (see arrow) from a normal position and back again, thus defining a reciprocating movement or action. A support member or flange 30 is mounted contiguous the outer wall of casing 12 and receives through an elongated slot 32 of a wall of casing 12 two assembly bolts 34 to retain support member 30 and reciprocator 28 firmly in alignment. Reciprocator 28 slides bidirectionally along a straight line within its retaining groove or recess 36 as it is moved from a first to a second position and back again. Recess 36 is secured to the wall of casing 12 by means of a plurality of screws 38. A drive shaft 40 is carried by a bushing 42 affixed to an interior wall 44 of casing 12, and a shaft 40 carries at one end 46 an eccentric cam 48 rigidly secured to shaft end 46 so as to turn positively therewith. Shaft end 46 and cam 48 are rot-atably and slidably retained Within a connecting linkage 50 so as to displace that linkage positively and then return it to its normal position as shaft end 46 and cam 48 revolve therein. Linkage 50 is pivotally secured to reciprocator 28 at pivot point 52 so that reciprocator 28 is responsive to movement of linkage 50 when that linkage is driven by the camming action of shaft end 46 and cam 48.

Since support member 26, flange 30 and sander 18 are all interconnected with reciprocator 28 by means of assembly bolts 34, any movement of the reciprocator causes a like movement of these afiixed elements. Filler washers 54 receive bolt-s 34 within slot 32 to assure alignment therein during the reciprocating operation.

Shaft 40 is rotated by means of a pulley 56 driven by a belt 58 mounted on a motor pulley 60. The driving means is a conventional electric motor 62 of convenient size and voltage for operation by Way of a plug 64 intermating with an outlet of matching voltage.

The precise positioning of support member 26 and its carried abrading or sanding means 20 is best shown in H6. 4. It can be seen that a recess 66 in an ornamental furniture piece 68 is formed with precision and extreme accuracy by the movement of member 18 in continuous fashion over the precisely defined area until the abrading action caused by the sanding or abrading means 20 moving against the surface of furniture leg 68 forms a recess or etched indentation. Obviously a change in the shape or dimensions of member 18 will create a recess or indentation of dimensions and shape that will respond directly to these changes.

An obvious modification of the preferred embodiment herein would be a reciprocating movement differing from that of the straight line illustrated and described so as to achieve recesses having distinguishing curvatures. Longitudinal recesses in furniture such as that designated by reference 68 could well be achieved by such a variation in reciprocating motion.

While the present invention has been described primarily in terms of the finishing of ornamental furniture, it is obvious that a multitude of extended uses for such a device are available in a variety of industries.

Obviously, many modifications and variations may be made in the construction and arrangement of the reciprocator and sander as Well as the placement of the housing as Well as other phases of the present inventive concept in light of the above teachings Without departing from the real spirit and purposes of this invention. Such modifications of parts and alternatives as well as the use of mechanical equivalents to those herein illustrated and described are reasonably included and modifications are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic sanding apparatus for etching recesses in an adjacent surface comprising in combination: a base; a housing mounted on said base; a drive shaft rotatably held Within said housing; a bushing securing said shaft within said housing; an eccentric drive cam fixedly secured to one end of said shaft Within said housing for positive rotation therewith; a plate member having a recess therein retained Within said housing; a reciprocator slidably movable horizontally Within said recess; a drive linkage responsive to rotation of said drive cam connecting said 25 cam with said reciprocator, said linkage receiving said cam for rotation and being pivotally secured to said reciprocator to urge said reciprocator in a first direction and then in a second direction and back again as said cam rotates with said shaft; a stationary guide member having an elongated slot therein positioned adjacent said reciprocator Within said housing; a flange adjacent said stationary guide and movable with respect thereto; an abrader support member responsive to movement of said reciprocator; assembly means connecting said reciprocator, said flange and said abrader support member through said stationary guide member slot; 2. sander member projecting from said abrader support member; retaining flanges releasably secured to said sander member; abrading means releasably clamped to said abrader support member by said retaining flanges for reciprocation therewith; and drive shaft rotating means rotating said shaft so that the cam revolves and reciprocates horizontally the reciprocator, flange, abrader support member and abrading means to abrade and etch a recess in the surface disposed against the abradin-g means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 423,748 3 /1890 Fleischmann 5159 X 443,795 12/1890 Root 5l-59 479,304 7/ 1892 Pletscher 5162 X 2,258,733 10/1941 Brackett 5162 2,720,058 10/1955 King 5159 3,133,381 5/1964 Freed 5159 HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Primary Examiner

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