NZ198400A - Cut off guide:methods of cutting(for portable hand-held power saw) - Google Patents

Description

1 98400 Priority Dataf®}: Compete Specification Filed: tf.'.lyl r.r„l./3£76 ai/oa, Otf-, 0816316 4 og lUiKc: ,!■••' /> • i'1 • •/• ••/••»•••••'»«• 'ubSioation E5st©i , • ■ • • P.O. Journal, Mo: 067 N.Z. NO, NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "POWER SAW GUIDE." I, DONALD PATRICK SWEENEY, an Australian citizen of 14 Adam Street, Wynnum, Queensland, Australia, 4178 do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 198400 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of tile Inven t ion This invention relates to a guide for power saws and in particular to obtaining a cut at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece such as a length of timber.

Hitherto lengths of timber for use in flooring, fences and other building or constructional purposes are cut into desired lengths by the use of a square or guide having a straight guide edge which functions in guiding the cutting action of the power saw. However, it has been found that this conventional method of cutting timber is often inaccurate and thereby time consuming in operation as repetition is often necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide guide for a power saw which alleviates the above-mentioned problems associated with the prior art.

The invention includes a method for cutting timber into multiple lengths utilizing a power saw guide including an elongate support member for supporting a guide strip and an angle member extending laterally of the support member, said method including the steps of: (i) inserting or locating the guide strip so that the guide strip is supported by the support member and extending part of the guide strip past the angle member and outwardly from one end thereof; (ii)locating a workpiece comprising an elongate section of timber or other cuttable material so that the workpiece is placed against a side face of said support member and wherein the angle member extends across the workpiece; (iii)making a guide mark on the workpiece coinciding with a free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip; 198400 (iv) placing a sole plate of a power saw adjacent to the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and bearing against the angle member so that said cutting blade is substantially in line with the free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and the guide mark on the workpiece; and (v) cutting the workpiece along a cutting line indicated by the free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and the guide mark on the workpiece.

The invention also includes a power saw guide comprising an elongate support member for a guide strip and an angle member extending laterally of said support member, said support member having a side face extending below said angle member to permit positioning of a longitudinal side edge of a work piece thereagainst with the angle member extending across the top of the work piece to provide a laterally extending edge against which a power saw can bear and slide for guided movement parallel to such laterally extending edge, and securing means for securing the guide strip to said support member with part thereof longitudinally extending outwardly beyond the support member and closely adjacent such longitudinal side edge of the workpiece when positioned as aforesaid, whereby the workpiece can be cut along a cutting line formed by a free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and a guide mark on the workpiece coinciding with such free end.

Preferably the outwardly extending part of the guide strip is extended a slight distance past the cutting blade of the power saw and this projecting part is severed by the power saw. Then a mark such as a transverse line may 1 9840 be made on the timber workpiece in line with the severed edge of the guide strip before cutting the workpiece into multiple lergths.

Preferably the support member is tubular or channel shaped and more suitably is channel shaped desirably having a crcss section in the shape of an inverted U. Suitable retaining means may be used to retain a guide strip within the channel member such as thumb screws. The angle member may be attached to the channel member adjacent one end thereof. The angle member may be provided with an •upwardly extending flange along one side edge thereof.

The angle member may be rigidly attached to the support member such that a cut may be made to the workpiece at 90° to the longitudinal axis thereof. More preferably however the angle member is movably or pivotally attached to the support member and may be releasably retained at a desired angle setting.

In one form of accomplishing this there may be provided a link member interconnecting the angle member and the support member and pivotally attached to both the angle member and the support member whereby said angle member may be set at a predetermined angle relative to the support member. Suitably the proximal end of the link member in this first embodiment may move in a slot or groove located in the suppcrt member and may be releasably retained therein so as to pre vide said desired angle setting.

In another form or embodiment of the invention the angle member may include a protractor extending to one side thereol with the angle member forming the base of the protractor. The support member may include any suitable means for r*. leasably retaining the arcuate or curved portion of the protj actor in a desired angle setting relative to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece so as to provide said predetermined angle. In this embodiment the angle member may be pivotally attached to the support member. 1 984 0 0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to a preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawings, wherein: FIG 1 represents a perspective view of the power 5 saw guide of the invention; and FIG 2 represents a perspective view of the power saw guide of FIG 1 in use with a guide strip power saw and ^elongate workpiece.

FIG 3 represents a perspective view of the 10 invention illustrating a modified power saw guide of the invention including the above described link member interconnecting the angle member and the support member; and FIG 4 represents a perspective view of another modified power saw guide in accordance with the invention 15 including the above described protractor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings there is shown power saw guide 10 including support member 11 in the form of a U-shaped channel section with thumb screws 12. Attached at one end 20 of support member 11 is angle member 13 which extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of support member 11. Angle member 13 on one side edge has upstanding flange 14. On angle member 13 are measurements 15.

In FIG 2 there is shown guide strip 16 with 25 outwardly extending part 16A extending out through one end of channel member 11. Guide strip 16 is retained within channel member 11 by thumb screws 12. Part 16A has an end 19 which is aligned with the cutting line 20 of a cutting blade (not shown) of a power saw having a power saw base 30 plate 17 defined in dotted outline. There is also included a work piece 21 having a guide mark 19A aligned with end 19 of part 16A and cutting line 20. Lateral extending part 22 of base plate 17 havinc a marginal edge 23 bears against flange 14 of angle member 13.

In use the power saw is maintained to keep a 19840 • substantially straight cut 18 of workpiece 21 by flange 14 to cut off vorkpiece 21 in whatever multiple lengths are required. I.y placing a mark or forming a guide point 19A on member 23 a precision cut of required length and angle 5 may be readjly obtained.

FIG 3 shows link member 24 pivotally attached to angle member 13 at 25. Angle member 13 is pivotally attached to support member 11 at 26. Link member 24 has an inner end which moves in groove 27 and is retained therein 10 by thumb screw 28. As shown thumb screw 28 maintains link . member 24 such that angle member 13 is maintained at an angle of 90° to support member 11.

FIG 4 illustrates another means of pivotally attaching angle member 13 to support member 11. In this 15 embodiment there is shown an arcuate portion 29 of a protractor which has measurements (not shown) marked on it. Portion 29 is rigidly attached to angle member 13 and may be releasably retained at any desired angle by use of clamping block 31 which may be moved into and out of engagement 20 with arcuate portion 29 by the use of thumbscrew 32. There is also included pointer 30 for giving a correct indication of the precise angle of cut relative to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece 21.

Angle member 13 instead of extending at right 25 angles to support member 11 as shown in FIG 3 and 4 may extend at an acute angle thereto if desired (e.g. 30°, 45°, or 60°) so that multiple lengths of timber may be obtained each having their ends cut at precisely the same angle if required.

The illustrated embodiments of FIGS 3 and 4 are useful in that previously wherein it was desired to obtain a cut at a predetermined angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece this required the use of a mitre box or alternatively required the marking of a line on the top 35 surface of the workp ;ce at the desired angle.

Claims (15)

- 7 - 198400 WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A method of cutting timber or other cuttable material utilizing a power saw guide including an elongate support member for supporting a guide strip and an angle member extending laterally of the support member, said method including the steps of: (i) inserting or locating the guide strip so that the guide strip is supported by the support member and extending part of the guide strip past the angle member and outwardly from one end thereof; (ii) locating a workpiece comprising an elongate section of timber or other cuttable material so that the workpiece is placed against a side face of said support member and wherein the angle member extends across the workpiece; (iii) making a guide mark on the workpiece coinciding with a free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip; (iv) placing a sole plate of a power saw adjacent to the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and bearing against the angle member so that said cutting blade is substantially in line with the free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and the guide mark on the workpiece; and (v) cutting the workpiece along a cutting line indicated by the free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and the guide mark on the workpiece.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein before step (i) the outwardly extending part of the guide strip is projected a slight distance past the cutting blade of the power saw which has already been placed in position adjacent said outwardly extending part and bearing against the support member and the projecting part of the guide strip extending past the cutting blade of the power saw is severed by the power saw. n.z. patent office 250CTI984 - 8 - 198400

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the angle member extends at right angles to the axis of the workpiece.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the support member is a U shaped channel member.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein there is further included a link member interconnecting the angle member and the support member and pivotally attached to both the angle member and the support member whereby the link member can be adjusted so that the angle member can be set at a desired angle relative to the support member.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the proximal end of the link member can move in a slot or groove located in the support member and be releasably retained therein to provide said desired angle of the angle member relative to the support member.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1,2,3 or 4 wherein said angle member includes an arcuate protractor portion extending to one side of the angle member which protractor portion can be movable relative to the support member and be releasably retained thereto so as to provide said desired angle of the angle member relative to the support member, said angle member being pivotally attached to the support member.

8. A power saw guide comprising an elongate support member for a guide strip and an angle member extending laterally of said support member, said support member having a side face extending below said angle member to permit positioning of a longitudinal side edge of a workpiece thereagainst with the angle member extending across the top of the workpiece to provide a laterally extending edge against which a power saw can bear and slide for guided movement parallel to such laterally extending - 9 198400 edge, and securing means for securing the guide strip to said support member with part thexeof longitudinally extending outwardly beyond the support member and closely adjacent such longitudinal side edge of the workpiece when positioned as aforesaid, whereby the workpiece can be cut along a cutting line formed by a free end of the outwardly extending part of the guide strip and a guide mark on the workpiece coinciding with such free end.

9. A power saw guide as claimed in claim 8 wherein the elongate support member is formed from a U shaped channel member.

10. A power saw guide as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein there are provided thumb screws associated with the U shaped channel member to maintain the guide strip within the channel member in use.

1-1. A power saw guide as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the angle member extends at right angles to the support member.

12. A power saw guide as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10 or 11 wherein there is further included a link member interconnecting the angle member and the support member and pivotally attached to both the angle member and the support member whereby the link member can be adjusted so that the angle member can be set at a desired angle relative to the support member.

13. A power saw guide as claimed in claim 12 wherein the proximal end of the link member can move in a slot or groove located in the support member and be releasably retained therein to provide said desired angle of the angle member relative to the support member. - 10 - 198400

14 A power saw guide as claimed in claim 8, 9, 10 or 11 wherein said angle member includes an arcuate protractor portion extending to one side of the angle member which protractor portion can be movable relative to the support member and be releasably retained thereto so as to provide said desired angle of the angle member relative to the support member, said angle member being pivotally attached to the support member.

15. A power saw guide according to claim 8 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DONALD PATRICK SWEENEY By His Attorneys HENRY ) Per: