GB2286144A

GB2286144A - Portable work bench

Info

Publication number: GB2286144A
Application number: GB9500702A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Young
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-01-22
Filing date: 1995-01-13
Publication date: 1995-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-13
Also published as: GB9401207D0; GB2286144B; GB9500702D0

Abstract

A portable work bench comprises two frames 1 made up of two legs and a horizontal tube 3 mounted at the top of the legs, the legs being braced for support. The two frames are joined together by telescopic arms 2 situated on opposite legs. Toggle clamps 7 are provided for moving the parallel tubes together or apart to act as the jaws of the bench whilst the diagonal telescopic arms are locked in such a position so as to act as the fulcrum point against which the clamps work. The portable work bench is opened to provide a frame to accommodate work pieces directly or with bench tops removably secured, provide a flat horizontal or canted surface and to which may be fitted clamps both horizontal and vertical. A set of steps and tool and paint pot holder are removably fitted when using the bench as a working platform. <IMAGE>

Description

PORTABLE WORK BENCH.

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A PORTABLE WORK BENCH.

PORTABLE WORK BENCHES HAVE NOW BECOME WELL KNOWN.MO'T WORK BENCHES COMPRISE A FRAME SUPPORTED BY FOUR LEGS AND HAVE TWO JAWS WHICH ARE CLOSED BY SCREW JACKS.

THESE WORK BENCHES FOLD INTO A COMPACT FORM IN ORDER TO STOW OR BE TRANSPORTED EASILY.HOWEVER,MOST WORK BENCHES OF THIS FORM ARE NOT ROBUST AND HAVE MANY DISADVANTAGES SUCH AS INSUFFICIENT DEPTH BETWEEN THE JAWS AND THERE IS NO FACILITY FOR FIXING MACHINES SUCH AS DRILLS,GRINDING WHEELS,BENDING JIGS ETC AND FIXING THESE SAID ITEMS AND REMOVING THEM RAPIDLY.

THIS INVENTION PROVIDES A BASIC FRAME WHICH IS STRONG AND LIGHTWEIGHT AND WHICH WILL READILY ACCOMMODATE HAND OR POWER TOOLS.THIS FRAME WILL FOLD FLAT.

THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION WILL NOW BE DESCRIBED BY REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS SHEET 1/6 FIG 1 SHOWS THE BASIC FRAME.

FIG 2 SHOWS THE METHOD OF SECURING THE TOPS.

SHEET 2/6/ FIG 1 SHOWS THE FRAME IN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE WORK TOP JUST RESTING ON THE TOP TUBES OF THE FRAME, THE TOGGLE CLAMP BEING IN THE 'UP POSITION.

FIG 2 SHOWS THE FRAME IN THE CLOSED POSITION WITH THE WORK TOP FIRMLY SECURED,THE TOGGLE CLAMP IN THE DOWN POSITION.

FIG 3A SHOWS A PAIR OF INDEPENDENT JAWS FITTED AND THE WORK TOPS REMOVED.

FIG 3B SHOWS THE METHOD OF STORING THE JAWS WHEN NOT IN USE.

FIG 4 SHOWS SEPARATE BOARDS AND THE METHOD OF FIXING TO THE FRAME.THESE SEPARATE BOARDS ARE INTENDED FOR THE MOUNTING OF MACHINES SUCH AS BENCH TOP GRINDERS, DRILLS, BENDING JIGS ETC.

SHEET 3/6 FIG 1 SHOWS WORK TOPS AND DETAILS OF CLAMPING GROOVES.

FIG 2 SHOWS RACK CLAMP FOR VERTICAL CLAMPING AND ILLUSTRATES MEANS OF FIXING IN CHANNEL.

FIG 3 SHOWS HORIZONTAL CLAMP.

SHEET 4/6 FIG 1 SHOWS DETAILS OF THE PASSIVE JAW.

FIG 2 DETAILS OF THE PASSIVE JAW ENGAGED IN CHANNEL.

FIG 3 SHOWS DETAILS OF ACTIVE JAW PRIOR TO INSERTION IN CHANNEL.UPON INSERTION IN THE CHANNEL PEG 1 ENGAGES IN THE HOLE FIG 2/1 SHEET 5/6 FIGS 1/2/3/4/5/6 SHOWS VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF WORK TOPS AND MACHINES.

FIG 7 SHOWS ONE WORK TOP CANTED.

SHEET 6/6.

SHOWS EXPLODED VIEW OF WORK BENCH IN WORK PLATFORM MODE.

FIG 1 SHOWS BASIC FRAME.

FIG 2 SHOWS STEPS.

FIG 3 SHOWS WORK PLATFORM.

FIG 4 SHOWS ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR TOOLS ETC.

FIG 5 SHOWS PAINT POT SECURE HOLDER,NOT FITTED TO ADJUSTABLE STAND FIG 4.

PORTABLE WORK BENCH.

REFERING TO THE DRAWING 1/6 THE BENCH COMPRISES TWO FRAMES(1) JOINED BY TWO TELESCOPIC TUBES, AT EITHER END.THE TELESCOPING OF THESE TUBES (2) ALLOWS THE TWO FRAMES (12 TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORTATION. WHEN THESE TWO FRAMES (1) ARE SEPARATED THE FOUR TELESCOPIC TUBES (2) LOCK AT A CERTAIN POINT. THE TWO HORIZONTAL TUBES (3) AT THE TOP OF THE FRAMES ARE THEN KEPT PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGH VARYING DISTANCES BUT CAN BE MOVED AWAY OR TOWARDS TO EACH OTHER WITH A FULCRUM POINT (4) AT THE POINT WHERE THE TELESCOPIC TUBES (2) CROSS OVER.

A FURTHER TELESCOPIC TUBE (5) IS PROVIDED AT EACH END OF THE FRAMES. THIS TELESCOPIC TUBE (5) HAS A SERIES OF HOLES AND A SPRING PIN PROVIDED IN ORDER TO GIVE COARSE ADJUSTMENT.

ONE END OF THE TELESCOPIC TUBE (5) IS REMOVABLY SECURED TO THE DOWN TUBES(6) OF ONE FRAME.THE OTHER END OF THE TELESCOPIC TUBE (5) IS TERMINATED AT A TOGGLE CLAMP WITH FINE ADJUSTMENT (7).THIS TOGGLE CLAMP (7) IS FITTED TO THE OPPOSITE LEG OF THE ADJACENT FRAME.THE MOVING OF THE FINE ADJUSTMENT HANDLE (8) INTO THE UP POSITION INCREASES THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TUBES (3). MOVING THE HANDLE (8) DOWN DECREASES THE GAP AND LOCKS THE FRAMES.

VARIOUS BENCH TOPS (9) CAN BE REMOVABLY SECURED BY THE METHODS ILLUSTRATED IN SHEET 1/6 FIG 2 AND SHEET 2/6 FIGS 1,2 AND 4. SOFT JAWS ARE SHOWN ON SHEET 2/6 FIGS 3A AND 3B.

SHEET 6/6 SHOWS VARIOUS ATTACHMENTS TO ENABLE THE BENCH TO BE USED AS A WORKING PLATFORM.THE ATTACHMENTS ARE STEPS FIG 2, BENCH TOP AS PLATFORM FIG 3.TOOL HOLDER FIG FIG 4 AND SECURE PAINT POT HOLDER FIG 5 WHICH IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ADJUSTABLE TOOL HOLDER FIG 4.

REFERING TO SHEET 4. THE PASSIVE JAW 1 OF FIG 2 IS SLID INTO THE CHANNEL 2 OF FIG 2 WHERE IT JAMS UPON COMING UP AGAINST A WORK PIECE.THE ACTIVE JAW FIG 3 WHEN INSERTED INTO THE CHANNEL IS REMOVABLY LOCKED BY THE ENGAGEMENT OF PIN 1 OF FIG 3 INTO THE HOLE PROVIDED IN THE CHANNEL 1 OF FIG 2.

$8WET 6/6 SHOWS DETAILS OF CHANNEL 1 FIG 3 AND SPLIT BENCH.

Claims

1/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH COMPRISING TWO FRAMES EACH MADE UP OF TWO LEGS AND A HORIZONTAL TUBE MOUNTED AT THE TOP OF THE LEGS,THE LEGS BEING BRACED FOR SUPPORT.

THE TWO FRAMES BEING JOINED TOGETHER BY TELESCOPIC ARMS SITUATED DIAGONALLY ON OPPOSITE LEGS AND A MEANS OF MOVING THE PARALLEL TUBES TOGETHER OR APART TO ACT AS THE" JAWS11 OF THE BENCH WHILST THE DIAGONAL TELESCOPIC ARMS ARE LOCKED IN SUCH A POSITION AS TO ACT AS THE FULCRUM POINT AGAINST WHICH THE CLAMPS WORK.

2/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 1 WHEREIN THE FRAMES PROVIDE A STRONG AND ADAPTABLE CONFIGURATION.

3/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIMS 1 & WHERE TWO TUBES MOUNTED HORIZONTALLY AT THE TOP OF THE FRAMES ARE MOVED TOGETHER OR APART AND ARE THE JAWS OF THE INVENTION.

4/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS WHEREIN TWO TELESCOPIC TUBES MOUNTED AT BOTH ENDS OF THE FRAMES ALLOW FOR THE FOLDING FOR STORAGE OR IN THEIR EXTENDED MODE PROVIDE A CENTRAL FULCRUM POINT AGAINST WHICH THE TWO FRAMES PIVOT.

5/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS AND WHICH HAS TWO TELESCOPIC ARMS WHICH PROVIDE COARSE ADJUSTMENT AT EITHER END BETWEEN THE TWO FRAMES.

6/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS AND TO WHICH TWO TOGGLE CLAMPS WITH FINE ADJUSTMENT HAVE BEEN FITTED TO THE COARSE ADJUSTMENT ARMS.

7/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS WHEREIN A BENCH TOP HAS BEEN PROVIDED CONSISTING OF TWO PIECES OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS TO ENABLE VARIOUS COMBINATIONS TO BE USED.

CLAIMS 8/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 8 WHEREIN ONE SECTION OF THE BENCH TOP HAS INSET A VARIOUS NUMBER OF CHANNELS FOR SECURING OF WORK CLAMPS.

9l A WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIMS 7 & WHEREIN ALL TOPS ARE FITTED WITH BRACKETS TO THE UNDERSIDE FOR EASY AND RAPID FIXING OR REMOVAL.

10/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 8 WHERE QUICKLY FITTED OR REMOVED CLAMPS,BOTH VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL ARE PROVIDED.

11/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIMS 1 & WHEREIN TWO SOFT JAWS ARE REMOVABLY FITTED TO THE TUBE JAWS.

12/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN CLAIMS 7 & WHEREIN A MEANS OF CANTING THE WORK TOP IS PROVIDED.

13/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS WHEREIN STEPS ARE PROVIDED,HINGED AT A POINT TO ALLOW THEM TO SIT SECURELY ON THE GROUND AND A REMOVABLE TOCL AND PAINTPOT HOLDER PROVIDED.

14/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH AS CLAIMED IN PRECEDING CLAIMS WHEREIN WHEELS MAY BE PROVIDED FIXED AT THE BASE OF AT LEAST TWO LEGS FOR EASE OF MOVEMENT.

15/ A PORTABLE WORK BENCH SUBSTANTIALLY AS DESCRIBED HEREIN WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMFANYIL;G DRAWINGS.