Circular saw

• US 6,625,891 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stielper, Henry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Watts, Douglas D.
• Application Number:
  US09/875,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20020121024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 303/88, 303/90, 303/91, 301/24, 831/68
• US Class Current: 30/391
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 59/003 Indicating the cutting plane on the workpiece, e.g. by projecting a laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 59/006 for removing or collecting chips

Abstract

A circular saw 30 includes a housing 32, a fixed upper guard 34, a movable lower guard 36 and a shoe 38. A saw motor 48 is selectively operated to rotate a circular saw blade 54 to facilitate the formation of a selective cut or kerf into a workpiece 57 under the control of an operator. A forward end 126, and a wing wall 138, of the upper guard 34 form an enclosed chamber 122 which is placed in close proximity with an adjacent surface 46 of the shoe 38 to essentially preclude chips from discharging through a slight space 39 therebetween. A trailing peripheral portion 148 of the upper guard 34 is formed with an inner radial path for receiving the lower guard 36 within the upper guard, and an outer radial path for management and directing of chips to a rear end 130 of the upper guard for discharging of the chips. A pair of stripes 102 and 104, and a sight window 90, are located on a forward portion of the surface 46 of the shoe 38 to assist an operator of the saw 30 in the accurate formation of the kerf.

Claims

1. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a shoe attached to the housing and having a forward end;

the shoe formed with a first opening therethrough for receipt of the saw blade and located along a centerline which is located in the given plane;

the shoe formed with a second opening therethrough and located between the forward end and the first opening of the shoe;

the second opening formed with a first section of a first prescribed width about the centerline and with a second section of a second prescribed width about the centerline; and

the second prescribed width being greater than the first prescribed width.

2. The circular saw as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first section of the second opening is in communication with the second section thereof.

3. The circular saw as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

the second opening formed with a third section which is spaced from the first section at the first prescribed width about the centerline; and

the first, second and third sections of the second opening being in communication, with the second section being located between the first and third sections.

4. The circular saw as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the second section of the second opening is formed along the centerline with a first end and a second end spaced from the first end; and

the width of the second section of the second opening is uniform from the first end to the second end thereof along the centerline.

5. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a shoe attached to the housing;

a stripe located on one side of the shoe facing, and aligned with, a forwardmost cutting location of the blade; and

the stripe extending at an angle with respect to the given plane of the blade.

6. The circular saw as set forth in claim 5, wherein the structural configuration of the stripe is selected from the group consisting of a groove, a ridge and a mark.

7. The circular saw as set forth in claim 5, wherein the stripe is a first stripe, and which further comprises:

a second stripe located on the shoe adjacent and extending at an angle with respect to the plane and which is located in a plane which intersects a plane of the centerline.

8. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a shoe attached to the housing and having a forward section, adjacent a location where the blade cuts a workpiece, and a rearward section;

a guard attached to the housing and extending outward from one side of the shoe and having a forward portion with a forward edge adjacent the forward section of the one side of the shoe and a rearward portion with a rearward edge adjacent the rearward section of the one side of the shoe;

the guard formed with an inner wall which interfaces with the saw blade on the one side of the shoe and extends from the forward edge to the rearward edge of the guard;

a chamber formed by the forward portion of the guard including a first side wall, a second side wall spaced from the first side wall, and a forward end wall extending between the first side wall and the second side wall,

an enclosure formed by placing the chamber in juxtaposition with the forward section of the one side of the shoe, about an area in which cutting portions of the blade are passed following the cutting of the workpiece to essentially preclude the discharge of chips from within the enclosure; and

the rearward edge of the guard being adjacent the rearward section of the one side of the shoe and spaced therefrom to define an opening therebetween which is limited in size to allow chips to be discharged therethrough but control the direction of movement of the discharged chips away from the saw.

9. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a shoe attached to the housing and having a forward section, adjacent a location where the blade cuts a workpiece, and a rearward section;

a guard attached to the housing and extending outward from one side of the shoe and having a forward portion with a forward edge adjacent the forward section of the one side of the shoe and a rearward portion with a rearward edge adjacent the rearward section of the one side of the shoe;

the guard formed with an inner wall which interfaces with the saw blade on the one side of the shoe and extends from the forward edge to the rearward edge of the guard;

the forward edge and the forward portion of the guard being located in juxtaposition with the forward section of the one side of the shoe;

an enclosed chamber formed by the forward section of the one side of the shoe and the juxtaposed forward portion of the guard and about an area in which cutting portions of the blade cut the workpiece to essentially preclude the discharge of chips through any space between the forward edge and the forward section of the shoe;

the rearward edge of the guard being adjacent the rearward section of the one side of the shoe and spaced therefrom to define an opening therebetween which is limited in size to allow chips to be discharged therethrough but control the direction of movement of the discharged chips away from the saw;

the guard formed with an inner edge portion which extends between the first end edge and the second end edge; and

a wing wall extending from the inner edge portion of the guard toward the plane of location of the blade.

10. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a guard formed with a first end edge and a second end edge spaced therefrom;

the guard formed with an inner edge portion which extends between the first end edge and the second end edge; and

a wing wall extending from the inner edge portion of the guard toward the given plane.

11. The circular saw as set forth in claim 10, which further comprises:

the wing wall having a bottom edge which is flush with the first end edge of the guard; and

the wing wall extends from the bottom edge thereof for at least the prescribed distance.

12. A circular saw, which comprises:

a housing;

a shoe attached to the housing;

a mount for receiving and supporting a saw blade in a given plane;

a motor located within the housing and coupled to the mount for driving the mount and, thereby, the saw blade to be mounted thereon;

a first guard attached fixedly to the housing and located in juxtaposition with an adjacent portion of the shoe;

the first guard and the adjacent portion of the shoe forming a substantially enclosed chamber about an area in which cutting portions of the blade are to be located and moved during cutting of a workpiece;

a second guard attached to the housing for swinging movement relative thereto, and positioned for movement into a first path within the enclosed chamber, the first path being radially outboard of the area in which the cutting portions of the blade are to be located; and

the enclosed chamber being formed with a second path which is radially outboard of the first path thereof and which extends from a forward end of the first guard to a rear end thereof to facilitate the managed disbursement of chips therethrough and the discharge of the chips from the rear end.