WO1989008011A1

WO1989008011A1 - Craftsman's folding stool

Info

Publication number: WO1989008011A1
Application number: PCT/GB1989/000157
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael John Slatter; James Edward Telford; Stephen Michael Peters
Original assignee: Michael John Slatter; James Edward Telford; Stephen Michael Peters
Priority date: 1988-02-23
Filing date: 1989-02-20
Publication date: 1989-09-08
Also published as: GB9020973D0; GB2234676B; GB2234676A

Abstract

A craftsman's folding stool comprises a top (1) and four legs (2, 3, 4, 5). The legs are splayed both longitudinally and laterally for stability of the stool. Longitudinal splaying is achieved by pivoting of the legs about pivot pins (18) from a folded-in position parallel to the top through 105°. Lateral splaying of the legs is achieved by setting the axes of the pins (18) at 15° to an axis transverse T to the length L of the top (1). The pins (18) are at 75° to the length of their legs.

Description

Craftsman's Folding Stool

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates -to a craftsman's stool, also known as a trestle or as a sawing horse. Background of the Invention

Such stools are essentially long and narrow. They are constant use by carpenters and other tradesmen. They need to be rigid enough to withstand sawing and planing work. Also they have to be stable and strong enough to carry the weight a man standing on one for overhead fixing.

Conventionally a craftsman uses a wooden stool, often made by himself. This will be adequately strong. In order t be stable, its legs splay both laterally and longitudinally from their fixture point close to each end.

It is known to make a table, such as card tables and picnic tables, with legs which fold to lie beneath the top. the case of a card table, the legs are normally hinged individually at the corners and lie parallel to a respective side when folded in. In the case of a picnic table, the legs are normally paired, each pair being connected by a stretcher itself hinged to the top, whereby the legs lie parallel to the length of the top when folded in. In both cases, the legs whe hinged out for use do not splay laterally. Such lateral splaying is essential in a craftsman's tool for stability. The object of the present invention is to provide a craftsman's stool with folding legs which splay for stability.

In the prior tables, the pivot or hinge axes are at righ angles to the length of the legs and parallel to the plane of the table top. This object cannot be achieved merely by setting of a leg's pivot axis at an acute angle to the length of the top of the stool, because such an arrangement results i the legs when folded crossing each other and extending at thei free ends beyond the side edges of the top. The Invention

A craftsman's folding stool of the invention comprises a long narrow top; four legs pivotally connected to the top; stops for stopping pivotal movement of the legs in a hinged-ou position in which the legs are splayed longitudinally, two pivotal connections of two of the legs being at one end of the top and two other pivotal connections of the other two legs being at the other end of the top; and clamps for clamping the legs in their hinged-out position against the stops; axes of the pivotal connections at the respective ends of the top bein so mutually angled that the legs when in a folded-in position lie substantially parallel both mutually and to the length of the top and when in the hinged-out position are splayed laterally with respect to each other at each end of the stool. In the preferred embodiment, the pivot axes at each end of the stool are mutually angled by setting them at a angle of misalignment in a plane parallel to the top, with each leg being set at an angle less than a right angle to its pivot axi whereby it can lie parallel to the other legs when folded-in. This angle gives the angle of lateral splaying.

In an envisaged alternative, the pivot axes at each end of the stool are mutually angled by setting them at an angle o misalignment in respective planes transverse to the length of the top and at right angles to it, the axes converging downwardly from the top. Each leg is set at right angles to its pivot axis and lies parallel to the other legs when folded-in. The small angle at which the pivot axes are set with respect to the plane of the top gives the angle of latera splaying. Preferably the pivot axes are conveniently defined by apertures in channel members, which also provide the stops. The legs are conveniently provided with bearing members in the form of a tube welded to each, which members receive pivot pin secured in the channel members to provide the pivotal connections. In the preferred embodiment, the clamp is in the form of a T-piece received in an aperture in a plate between the channel members. The T member can be turned about its long limb and drawn in its direction for clamping. Conveniently the channel members are welded into a metal frame to support a wooden top - which is replaceable.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- The Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the stool in a use position with its legs hinged-out;

Figure 2 is an underneath plan view of the stool of Figure 1 with the legs folded-in for stowage; Figure 3 is scrap underneath perspective view of pivotal connections of the legs as folded-in; and

Figure 4 is a scrap perspective view similar to Figure 3 but from another direction of the legs hinged-out and clamped in position. The Preferred Embodiment

The stool has a flat moisture-resistant, medium-density- fibre-board top 1, which is long and narrow, typically 725 x 175 mm. It has four legs 2,3,4,5 typically 550mm long and connected beneath the top close to its ends. These are splaye both laterally and longitudinally typically at 15° so that the feet 6 of the legs lie beyond the lateral and longitudinal extent of the top. Thus in use the stool is stable whenever a vertical loading is applied onto the top. The legs 2,3,4,5 ar of square section mild steel tube with moulded nylon feet 6. Beneath the top 1 is a steel frame 7 comprising a 2mm steel plate 8 with bent-up edge flanges 9. The top 1 is secured to the frame by means of screws 8* passing through the plates 8. At each end of the frame 7, a pair of short channel members 10,11; 12,13 are welded to the plate 8. These have their webs 14 arranged vertically, in use, and their flanges 15 directed generally towards the opposite end of the stool. Small plates 16; 17 extend between the pairs of channel member 10,11; 12,13, being welded at the corners between the webs 14 and the inner ones of the flanges 15. In their pairs, the channel members are set at 15° to transverse axis T, with the flanges 15 directed to converge inwardly. Thus each plate 16; 17 makes included angles of 165° with the adjoining web 14, whilst the webs are at an angle 150° within each pair.

Equally spaced from their webs, in each flange 15, all o the channel members 10,11; 12,13 have apertures (not shown) through which passes a pivot bolt 18 having a locking nut 19 and defining an axis 18' of pivotal connection of the legs to the frame. The pivot bolt axes 18' at each end of the top 1 are at an angle of 150° to each other and lie in a plane parallel to the top. Captive between the flanges 15 and turnable on the pivot bolts are bearing sleeves 20 to which th top ends of the legs 2,3,4,5 are welded. The sleeves are set at an angle of 75° to the length of the legs, whereby the legs all lie parallel to each other when folded-in into their Figur 2 position. This arrangement provides that when the legs are swung out about their pivot bolts 18 by 90° they make an angle of 75° with the top; that is they have an angle of lateral splay of 15°.

In practice they can be swung further than 90°, through 105° in all, to have an angle of longitudinal splay of 15°. They are stopped in this position by abutment with the free edges 21 of the webs 14. The small plates 16,17 have central apertures 22 through each of which pass a long, threaded limb 23 of a locking T-piece 24. Its cross limb 25 is bent to follow the orientation of the pivot bolts 18. When the legs are folded-in, the cross limbs 25 lie outside them, as shown i Figure 3. For hinging-out of the legs, the cross limbs are turned through 90° about the long limb 23. Once the legs are fully hinged-out, the cross limbs can be turned back to engage behind them. Tightening of wing nuts 26 on the threaded limbs urges the legs against the free edges 21 which form stops. T corners 27 of the flanges 15 are cut away at an angle to provide that cross limbs do not engage on them but slide onto the legs. Cut-outs 28 are provided in the angled corners of inner ones of the flanges 15. These receive and positively locate the cross limbs 25 of the T-piece when in their clampin position.

As may be seen in Figure 2, channel members 10,11 at one end are closer to one of the flanges 9, whilst the channel members 12,13 are closer to the other flange. This allows the legs to interdigitate and lie parallel to the length, and more specifically the longitudinal axis L, of the stool. Alternatively, the channel members could be arranged centrally and oriented round by a very small amount to preserve the interdigitation with the legs running - when folded-in - at th very small angle to the length of the top 1.

It will be appreciated that the above described craftsman's stool, whilst at once being as strong and stable a a conventional stool, is considerably less bulky and can be stowed readily - perhaps with a pair - in a small space such a the boot of a car.

Claims

1. A craftsman's folding stool comprising:- a long narrow top (1) ; four legs (2,3,4,5) pivotally connected to the top (1), two pivotal connections of two (2,3) of the legs being at one end of the top (1) and two other pivotal connections of the other two legs (4,5) being at the other end of the top (1); stops (21) for stopping pivotal movement of the legs (2,3,4,5) in a hinged-out position in which the legs are splayed longitudinally; and clamps (24) for clamping the legs in their hinged-out position against the stops (21); axes (18' ) of the pivotal connections at the respective ends of the top (1) being so mutually angled that the legs (2,3,4,5) when in a folded-in position lie substantially parallel both mutually and to the length (L) of the top (1) a when in the hinged-out position are splayed laterally with respect to each other at each end of the stool.

2. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 1> wherein the axes (18' ) of the pivotal connections at the respective ends are mutually angled at an angle of misalignme in a plane parallel to the top (1), each leg (2,3,4,5) being set at an angle less than a right angle to the axis (18') of its pivotal connection, whereby it lies parallel to the other legs when folded in.

3. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 2, wherein the axes of the pivotal connections at the respective ends are mutually angled at an angle of misalignment in respective planes transverse to the length of the top and at right angles to it, the axes converging downwardly from the top; each leg -being set at right angles to its axis of pivota connection and lying parallel to the other legs when folded i

4. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 1, clai 2 or claim 3, including a steel frame (7), the frame (7) havi four downwardly extending channel members (10,11,12,13), each channel member (10,11,12,13) having an aperture in each of its flanges (15) to define the axis (18') of pivotal connection fo a respective leg (2,3,4,5) and an abutment (21) at the lower end of its web (14) to provide the said stop for its leg (2,3,4,5).

5. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 4, wherein each leg (2,3,4,5) has a bearing tube (20) welded transversely of its upper end and each channel member (10,11,12,13) has a bolt or pin (18) extending through both th bearing tube (20) and the apertures in its flanges (15) to connect the leg (2,3,4,5) to the channel member (10,11,12,13).

6. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5-, including a respective plate (16;17) extending betwee the two channel members (10,11;12,13) at each end of the top (1), each plate (16;17) having a central aperture (22); the respective clamp (24) for the two legs (10,11;12,13) connected at each end of the top (1) comprising a T-member (24) having a threaded leg (23), carrying a nut (26) and received in the central aperture (22), a cross limb (25) of the T-member (24) bearing in use against the two legs (10,11;12,13) to urge them against their stops (21) by tightening of the nut (26) against the plate (16;17) .

7. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in claim 6, wherein each cross limb (25) is received in slots (28) in the channel members (10,11,12,13).

8. A craftsman's folding stool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top (1) is replaceable and wooden.