Saw guard system

• US 4,721,023 A
• Filed: 06/20/1986
• Issued: 01/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
• Inventors: Folkerth, Harold E., Legler, John G., Bartlett, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yost, Frank T.
• Application Number:
  US06/877,698
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 83/100, 83/102.1, 83/477.2, 83/478, 83/574, 83/477.1
• US Class Current: 83/100
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 11/0046 by sucking
• CPC Class Codes: B27C 9/00 Multi-purpose machines; Universal machines; Equipment therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B27G 19/02 for circular saws
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/207 By suction means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2077 By kerf entering guide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7726 By movement of the tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/773 Work-support includes passageway for tool [e.g., slotted table]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7734 With guard for tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/872 With guard means

Abstract

A saw guard system adapted to be mounted on the headstock quill of a multipurpose woodworking tool includes a rear portion adapted to be clamped to the headstock quill, a front portion which forms a pocket with the rear portion and is adjustable so that the pocket size can be varied to accommodate rotary tools of varying thicknesses, and an exhaust port communicating with the pocket and having an outer end adapted to be attached to a vacuum hose. The rear portion supports a riving knife adapted to extend above an associated saw table and which includes an upper saw guard. The riving knife is positioned in a common plane with a rotary tool mounted on the quill, and is capable of remaining closely adjacent to the rotary tool regardless of table position or quill extension. An anti-kickback device includes a finger having a downwardly-extending point and is connected to the riving knife by a pair of link arms so that the horizontal orientation of the finger remains constant regardless of its elevation relative to the riving knife. To facilitate retention of dust in the pocket, as well as its removal through the port, the front portion includes a transverse channel at its lower end communicating with the port, the rear portion includes a deflector plate above the port, and the port is skewed relative to the front portion and is located at a downstream side of the pocket.

Claims

1. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a motorized headstock with a quill spindle for mounting circular saw blades and the like thereon, a quill supporting said spindle and protruding ouwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and a tabletop pivotally mounted thereon, the tabletop having an elongated blade slot therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having a rear face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and means for attaching said rear portion to a headstock quill;

a front portion having a front face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool;

means for adjustably attaching said rear portion to said front portion to form a pocket therebetwen having an upwardly opening mouth such that said front face is displaceable toward and away from said rear face, whereby said pocket and said mouth may be varied in width to accommodate rotary tools of varying thicknesses therein and provide a minimum clearance between said portions and a rotary tool in said pocket during use; and

port means communicating at an inner end thereof with said pocket and having an outer end adapted to be attached to vacuum hose means.

2. The saw guard system of claim 1 further comprising upper guard means attached to and extending upwardly from said rear portion sufficiently to enclose an upper portion of a rotary tool within said pocket, whereby said upper guard means remains fixed relative to a rotary tool mounted on an associated spindle.

3. The saw guard system of claim 2 further comprising a side wall attached to and coextensive with a lower periphery of said front face and extending rearwardly therefrom to engage said rear portion.

4. The saw guard system of claim 3 wherein said rear portion includes ridge means extending about a lower periphery of said rear face and shaped to telescope within said side wall;

and said attaching means includes said side wall having a slot formed therethrough, and screw means threaded into said rear portion through said slot and sized such that said screw means may be tightened to clamp said front plate to said rear plate.

5. The saw guard system of claim 4 wherein said rear portion includes clamp means for engaging said upper guard means;

and said upper guard means includes a riving knife adapted to engage said clamp means, and an upper shield pivotally attached to said riving knife, whereby said riving knife may be positioned closely adjacent to and remain fixed in position relative to a tool mounted on an associated quill spindle such that the potential for kickback is minimized.

6. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a motorized headstock with a quill spindle for mounting circular tools and the like thereon, a reciprocatable quill supporting said spindle and protruding outwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and a table top pivotally mounted thereon, the table top having an elongated blade slot for receiving a portion of a circular tool therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having a rear face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and means for attaching said rear portion to a headstock quill;

clamp means attached to said rear portion and adapted to support a riving knife;

a riving knife attached to said clamp means and extending upwardly from said rear portion, said clamp means being positioned on said rear portion such that said riving knife is substantially coplanar with a circular tool mounted on an attached quill so that said riving knife may remain closely adjacent to and fixed relative to an associated circular tool as an attached reciprocatable quill is displaced longitudinally, thereby minimizing the potential for kickback;

a front portion having a front face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and attached to said rear portion to form a pocket therewith;

anti-kickback means attached to said riving knife,said anti-kickback means including finger means and first and second link arms pivotally attached to forward and reaward ends of said finger means, respectively, and forward and rearward portions of said riving knife, respectively, whereby said finger means may pivot upwardly and downwardly relative to said riving knife while maintaining a substantially constant horizontal orientation; and

said first link arm including stop means extending sidwardly therefrom such that said body may be pivoted downwardly to contact said stop means, whereby said stop means provides a lower limit of travel for said body.

7. The saw guard system of claim 6 wherein said finger means includes an elongate body having a downwardly-extending portion terminating in a point, said downwardly-extending portion having a downwardly and rearwardly-inclined leading edge.

8. The saw guard system of claim 6 wherein said first and second link arms are connected to said riving knife by rivet means including spacer means for spacing said link arms from said riving knife, said spacer means comprising said stop means.

9. The saw guard system of claim 8 wherein said body is positioned between said riving knife and said link arms, superposed to said spacer means.

10. The saw guard system of claim 9 wherein said link arms extend downwardly and rearwardly from said body to said riving knife.

11. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a motorized headstock with a quill spindle for mounting circular tools and the like thereon, a reciprocatable quill supporting said spindle and protruding outwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and a table top pivotally mounted thereon, the table top having an elongated blade slot for receiving a portion of a circular tool therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having a rear face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and means for attaching said rear portion to a headstock quill;

clamp means attached to said rear portion and adapted to support a riving knife;

a riving knife attached to said clamp means and extending upwardly from said rear portion, said clamp means being positioned on said rear portion such that said riving knife is substantially coplanar with a circular tool mounted on an attached quill so that said riving knife may remain closely adjacent to and fixed relative to an associated circular tool as an attached reciprocatable quill is displaced longitudinally, thereby minimizing the potential for kickback;

a front portion having a front face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and attached to said rear portion to form a pocket therewith;

means for adjustably attaching said rear portion to said front portion to permit said front face to be displaced toward or away from said rear face such that said pocket may be varied in width to facilitate tool changing, accommodate rotary tools of varying thicknesses, and provide a minimum of clearance between said guard and a rotary tool in said pocket during use; and

channel means formed in said front portion and extending across a lower end thereof and port means communicating at an inner end thereof with said channel means and being located at a downstream side of said front portion for conveying debris from said pocket, said port means having an outer end adapted to be attached to vacuum hose means.

12. The saw guard system of claim 11 further comprising deflector plate means extending across said pocket and being positioned above said port means, such that debris in said pocket is prevented from flowing upwardly from said pocket and is deflected toward said port means.

13. The saw guard system of claim 12 wherein said rear portion includes ridge means extending about a lower periphery of said rear face;

said front plate includes a side wall extending rearwardly from a lower periphery thereof and shaped to telescope over said ridge means; and

said adjustable attaching means includes said side wall having a slot formed therethrough, and screw means threaded into said rear portion through said slot and sized such that said screw means may be tightened to clamp said front portion to said rear portion.

14. The saw guard system of claim 11 further comprising anti-kickback means attached to said riving knife, said anti-kickback means including

first and second link arms pivotally attached to forward and rearward ends of said riving knife,

bolt means including spacer means for connecting said link arms to said riving knife and spacing said link arms from said riving knife

finger means including an elongate body having a rear portion extending downwardly and terminating in a point, said rear portion having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined leading edge, and

said finger means being pivotally attached at forward and reaward ends therof to said first and second link arms, respectively, such that said link arms extend downwardly and rearwardly from said finger means to said riving knife, said finger means being positioned between said riving knife and said link arms and superposed to said spacer means such that said body may pivot upwardly or downwardly relative to said riving knife while maintaining a substantially constant horizontal orientation, said spacer means being positioned to operate as a stop to limit downwardly movement of said body.

15. A combination riving knife and antikickback device comprising:

a riving knife adapted to be mounted on a table saw and extend upwardly from a saw table thereof;

finger means; and

first and second link arms pivotally attached to forward and rearward ends of said finger means, respectively, and forward and rearward portions of said riving knife, respectively, whereby said finger means may pivot upwardly and downwardly relative to said riving knife while maintaining a constant horizontal orientation; and

said finger means including an elongate body having a downwardly-extending portion terminating in a point, said downwardly-extending portion having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined leading edge.

16. The saw guard system of claim 15 wherein said first link arm includes stop means extending sidewardly therefrom such that said body may be pivoted downwardly to contact said stop means, whereby said stop means provides a lower limit of travel for said body.

17. The combination of claim 16 wherein said first and second link arms are connected to said riving knife by bolt means including spacer means for spacing said link arms from said riving knife, said spacer means comprising said stop means.

18. The saw guard system of claim 17 wherein said body is positioned between said riving knife and said link arms, superposed to said spacer means.

19. The combination of claim 15 wherein said link arms extend downwardly and rearwardly from said finger means to said riving knife.

20. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a motorized headstock with a quill spindle for mounting circular saw blades and the like thereon, a quill supporting said spindle and protruding outwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and a tabletop pivotally mounted hereon, the tabletop having an elongated blade slot therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having a rear face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool and means for attachment to a headstock quill;

a front portion having a front face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool, port means adapted to be attached to a vacuum hose, and a transverse channel communicating with said port means; and

means for adjustably attaching said rear portion to said front portion to form a pocket therebetween communicating with said transverse channel and said port means and to permit said front face to be displaced toward or away from said rear face, whereby said pocket may be varied in width to accommodate rotary tools of varying thicknesses therein and provide a minimum clearance between said portions and a rotary tool in said pocket during use.

21. The saw guard system of claim 20 further comprising deflector plate means extending across said pocket above said port means.

22. The saw guard system of claim 20 wherein said channel extends across a lower end of said front face,and said port is positioned at said lower end and at a downstream side of said front portion.

23. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a motorized headstock with a quill spindle for mounting circular saw blades and the like thereon, a quill supporting said spindle and protruding outwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and a tabletop pivotally mounted thereon, the table-top having an elongated blade slot therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having means for attachment to a headstock quill, and a rear face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool;

a front portion having a front face sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool;

means for adjustably attaching said rear portion to said front portion to form a pocket therebetween and to permit said front face to be displaced toward or away from said rear face, whereby said pocket may be varied in width to accommodate rotary tools of varying thicknesses therein and provide a minimum clearance between said portions and a rotary tool in said pocket during use;

port means communicating at an inner end thereof with said pocket and having an outer end adapted to be attached to vacuum hose means;

upper guard means attached to and extending upwardly from said rear portion sufficiently to enclose an upper portion of a rotary tool within said pocket, wherein said upper guard means remains fixed relative to a rotary tool mounted on an associated spindle;

said rear portion including ridge means extending about a lower periphery of said rear face and shaped to telescope within said side wall;

said attaching means including said side wall having a slot formed therethrough, and screw means threaded into said rear portion through said slot and sized such that said screw means may be tightened to clamp said front plate to said rear plate;

said rear portion including clamp means for engaging said upper guard means;

said upper guard means including a riving knife adapted to engage said clamp means, and an upper shield pivotally attached to said riving knife, whereby said riving knife may be positioned closely adjacent to and remain fixed in position relative to a tool mounted on an associated quill spindle such that potential for kickback is minimized; and

shield means adapted to be attached to a front portion of a tie bar of an associated support frame, and shaped to overlap an upper portion of said front face of said front portion.

24. The saw guard system of claim 23 further comprising slide plate means slidably attached to said rear portion and including resilient means for urging against said rear portion and said slide plate to displace said slide plate upwardly from said rear portion against an underside of an associated saw table.

25. A combination riving knife and anti-kickback device comprising:

a riving knife adapted to be mounted on a table saw and extend upwardly from a saw table thereof;

first and second link arms pivotally attached to forward and rearward ends of said riving knife;

bolt means including spacer means for connecting said link arms to said riving knife and spacing said lnk arms from said riving knife;

finger meansincluding an elongate body having a rear portion extending downwardly and terminating in a point, said rear portion having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined leading edge; and

said finger means being pivotally attached at forward and rearward ends thereof to said first and second link arms, respectively, and being positioned between said riving knife and said link arms and superposed to said spacer means such that said body may pivot upwardly or downwardly relative to said riving knife, while maintaining a substantially constant horizontal orientation, said spacer means being positioned to operate as a stop to limit downward movement of said body.

26. For use with a multipurpose woodworking tool of the type having a headstock with a motor-driven quill spindle for mounting circular saw blades and the like thereon, a quill supporting said spindle and protruding outwardly from said headstock, and a saw table having a support frame and tabletop pivotally mounted thereon, the tabletop having an elongated blade slot therethrough, a saw guard system comprising:

a rear portion having means for rigidly attaching to a headstock quill, a rear face oriented substantially perpendicularly to an attached quill and sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool, said rear face having a substantially smooth and flat front side uninterrupted by surface obstructions;

ridge means extending about a lower periphery of said rear face and extending forwardly therefrom;

a front portion having a front face oriented substantially parallel to said rear face and sized to cover a lower portion of a circular tool;

a side wall attached to and coextensive with a lower periphery of said front face and extending rearwardly therefrom to said rear portio, said side wall being shaped to telescope over said ridge means such that said front and rear portions form a pocket shaped to receive a lower portion of a rotary tool therein;

means for adjustably attaching said side wall to said ridge means including slot means formed in said side wall and screw means extending through said slot means and threaded into said ridge means such that tightening of said screw means clamps said side wall against said ridge means, whereby a width of said pocket may be varied to provide a minimum clearance about a rotary tool therein;

channel means extending transversely across a lower end of said front portion and being concave in shape, opening to said pocket;

port means communicating at an inner end thereof with said channel means and being located at a downstream side of said front portion, said port means having an outer end adapted to be connected to vacuum cleaner means;

deflector plate means positioned above said port means;

clamp means including a base integral with said rear portion, a clamp bar adjacent to said base, and screw means for attaching said clamp bar to said base;

a riving knife having a lower portion with a slot therealong sized to recieve said screw means therein, said lower portion being shaped to be clamped between said clamp bar and base, and an upper portion extending upwardly from said rear portion and including an arcuate portion located thereon to be adjacent to an associated circular tool;

slide means slidably attached to said rear portion and sized to extend across a width of said rear face, said slide means including means biasing said slide means upwardly from said rear portion;

an upper shield pivotally attached to said upper portion of said riving knife above an associated saw table; and

shield means adapted to be attached to a front portion of a tie bar of an associated support frame such that said shield means overlaps an upper portion of said front portion, whereby said pocket is substantially enclosed by said front and rear portions, said slide means and said upper shield, regardless of an orientation of an associated saw table.