US2073855A - Mat cutter - Google Patents

Description

'a'rch 16, 1937.

MAT CUTTER Filed May 22, 1936 gwucwbo'a John C. Steinmetz J". c. STEINMETZ 2,073,855 2 Patented Mar. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oeriee 2,073,855 MAT CUTTER John C. Steinmetz, Jackson, Mich. Application May 22, 1936, Serial No. 81,216

, V 17 Claims.

This invention relates to cutters and particularly to cutters adaptable to cutting framing mats. a

An object of the invention is to provide a mat cutterhaving a, body slidable on the work and a blade projectable from the bottom of the body through the work.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cutter having a pivoted blade in combination with indicating means to show the points at which the out should be started and stopped.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cutter, mounted in a guidable body, which will out a beveled edge.

A further object is to provide a cutter pivoted in a body and inclined to the line of cutting in a straight out and to the tangent to a curved out. A still further object is to provide a cutter which may readily follow a curved templet.

These and other objects will be apparent from the specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which Fig.1 is a perspective View of the invention in i operating position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cutting blade showing the blade holder in dotted outline, and,

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the radius arm used with the body portion when making circular cuts. I

The purpose of the present invention is to provides, small inexpensive manually operable device particularly for cutting mats to prepare the usual mats or mat frames. For the sake of appearance the inner edge of the frame is beveled and it is this bevelededge that is formed by the present invention when cutting out a center portion of a mat board to provide a frame.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the reference character [designates a body in which a blade 2, mounted in a blade holder 3, is pivoted. The body I in working position, and as shown, rests on its base, the blade 2 projecting from an inwardly spaced portionofthe base. A face of the body I is straight and in making a straight out in a mat or other sheet the body I is guided in a straight line by moving it with the side 4 in contact with a straight edge suitably placed. I

As the body I rests on a mat or other sheet to be cut the blade 2 is normally forced thereby about thepin 5, on which it is pivoted, into the body I. It is manually urged out of the body I by pressure on the finger piece 6 projecting from the forward end of the body I which causes it to pivot about the pin 5 and, when the body is held on a mat, for instance, the blade extends into the mat. The blade should extend sufficiently from the body I to pass just through the material to be cut. This distance is determined by the stop I which is in the form of a screw manually adjustable into and out of the body I. The stop 1 is adjusted to extend outwardly a distance determined by the thickness of the mat being out and functions to limit the inward movement of the finger piece 6 which results in limiting the outward movement of the blade 2.

When it is desired to make a circular cut the radius arm 8 having a center pin 9 is inserted in the opening I0 through the body I, and it is secured in adjusted position by the thumb screw II. It will be clear from the description thus far that by holding the center pin 9 stationary with one hand and by urging the body I against the mat to be cut with the other and at the same time pressing the finger piece 6 toward the body I to project the blade}, a circle may be cut.

My invention may also be used to cut out an elliptical or other irregular portion having curved sides, from a mat. To do this a templet must first be made. The templet is held against the mat to be cut over the portion to be removed. Tacking has been found to be a convenient expedient for holding the templet in position. The body I is then urged against and moved around the templet, the blade 2 being projected from the base of the body I by pressure on the finger piece 6 as before. In order that the body I have a constant point of contact with the templet, there is provided in the body I a curved recess I2 which is fitted against the templet during cutting. The curve of the recess I2 is of somewhat less radius than the curves of the templets generally used so that the actual guiding is done 'bythe shoulders I3 and I4 at each side of the recess I2. Thus the actual curvature of the recess I2 is of little importance.

The blade 2 is disposed between return bent portions I5 of the holder 3 as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. The blade 2 is reversible and the cutting edges I6 and the trailing edges I! are slightly convex. The angles formed between the cutting edges I6 and the trailing edges I! are such that when the blade 2 is in. cutting position as shown in Fig. 2 the trailing edge inclines slightly to the rear. The blade 2 is provided at its central part along the outer edge with two notches I8 each arranged to register with a hole 75 vided especially for this purpose.

I9 through the return bent portions I of the holder 3. It is through the hole I9 and one of the notches I8 that the pin 5 about which the holder 3 and blade 2 are pivoted extends. When it is 5 desired to use the second cutting edge I6 it is merely necessary to reverse the blade 2 registering the second notch I8 with the hole I9.

The blade 2 and the holder 3 are pivoted about the pin 5 in a slot 25. The pin 5 is removable for 10 the purpose of permitting the removal of the holder 3 and blade 2. The slot 25 is downwardly inclined to the face 4 to make a beveled cut in the mat being worked on and also has an inclination to the forward end wall 26 of the body I such that its line of intersection with the base makes an angle of the order of four degrees with the face 4. The purpose of the latter inclination is to determine the angle taken by the blade with respect to a out being made and is to prevent the blade 2 from jumping out of a cut as it is being made. This feature is an important characteristic of the invention and is particularly desirable in making curved cuts. While in appearance this angularity would at first blush seem to force the body I away from a straight edge or templet its effect is wholly beneficial rather than detrimental.

In using my cutter to cut a straight sided piece such as a square from a mat the outline of the piece to be cut out should be drawn in with pencil on the back of the mat. In cutting a beveled edge with my cutter the cut is always made from the back of the mat due to the inclination of the blade 2. Normally difiiculty would be en- 5 countered in determining the exact place at which to place the body I in starting and stopping a out due to the fact that when the body is placed on the mat to begin a cut the blade 2 is within the body I and is invisible to the operator, and when the cut is completed the blade 2 is projected, and relatively to the body I, is further forward. The difficulty is overcome by marking on the back of the recess I2 a starting line 21 and a stopping line 28. These lines are apart a distance approximately equal to the forward travel of the blade 2 as it is pivoted about the pin 5 in being projected from the base. It is observed that by locating the lines 21 and 28 at the back of the recess I2 it will be possible to see them at the base of the body I even though the face 4 be against a straight edge or a templet. To make a cut the face dis placed against a straight edge and the starting line 21 opposite the point the cut is to start. The finger piece 6 is then moved toward the body I to project the blade 2 through the mat and the body I moved until the stopping line 28 is opposite the point the cut is to stop. One side of the piece to be cut out has then been cut. The others are cut in the same manner and the piece bounded by cuts lifted out.

In making curved cuts it is important that the cutting edge of the blade 2 be on the line perpendicular to the face 4 and passing through the center of curvature of the curve being cut. Ac-

cordingly the blade 2 projects from the base of the body I at a point opposite the midportion of the recess I2.

The body I is also provided with a slot 30 perpendicular to the base and to the forward end 26. The blade 2 and its holder 3 may be removed from the slot 25 by removing the pin 5, and may be pivoted in the slot 30 about the pin 5, which may be inserted in a hole 3I in the body I pro- The blade 2 in the slot 30 makes a straight rather than a beveled cut.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention makes possible the rapid and economical cutting of mats to provide mat frames for pictures and the like and it will be obvious that this invention is not limited to the cutting of mats but may be used wherever a cutter for equivalent sheet material is needed.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to protect by Letters Patent and claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, and a cutting blade mounted within said body having a portion thereof projecting from said face and disposed at an angle to said straight portion and at an angle to the work surface.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, and a cutting blade pivoted within said body, manually projectable from said face and disposed at an angle to said straight portion and at an angle to the work surface.

3. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, a cutting blade pivoted within said body, means for manual operation for projecting said blade from said face, and means for limiting the maximum projection of said blade from said face, said blade being disposed at an angle to said straight portion and at an angle to the work surface.

4. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, a cutting blade pivoted within said body, means for manual operation for projecting said blade from said face, and an adjustable stop for limiting the maximum projection of said blade from said face, said blade being disposed at an angle to the straight portion and at an angle to the work surface.

5. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, and a cutting blade mounted with said body and projecting from said face, said blade being disposed at an angle to said straight portion and at an angle to the work surface, said blade having a rearwardly inclined convexly curved cutting edge and a forwardly inclined trailing edge.

6. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, spaced parallel walls within said body inclined to said straight portion and to the work surface, and a cutting blade pivoted between said walls.

'7. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, means included by said body for guiding the same in a curved path, a cutting blade pivotally 9. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, a straight portion included by said body for guid ing contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, spaced parallel walls within said body .inclined to said straight portion and to the work face, the angle of inclination with said straight portion being of the order of 4, and a cutting blade pivoted between said walls and projectable from said face.

10. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, spaced parallel walls within said body, means for guiding said body in a curved path, a cutting blade pivoted between said walls and projectable from said face, said blade being inclined at an angle to the work surface and forming an exterior acute angle with the tangent to the curve at the point of cutting.

11. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face, means to guide said body, a blade pivoted within said body and projectable from said face, means on said body indicating its starting position with respect to a cut to be made, and means indicating the stopping position at the end of the cut to be made. I 1

12. A device of the character described comprising a body, a work surface engaging face,

an extensible radius arm, means on the end thereof for fixing a center of rotation for said body, and a blade pivotally mounted in said body inclined to the work surface and forming an obtuse angle with the radial line of the curve at the point of cutting.

14. A cutting blade comprising a thin blade, a cutting edge thereon having midway between its ends a pair of spaced recesses, a back for said blade opposite said cutting edge, and convex ends to said back falling away from each cutting edge at an angle of less than 90.

15. A blade assembly comprising a holder comprising spaced parallel plates having opposed openings constituting receiving means for a pin for pivotally mounting the holder, a blade mounted in said holder between said plates having a convex cutting edge projecting therefrom, a convex trailing edge for said blade defining with said cutting edge an acute projection, and a recess in the edge of the blade comprising a continuation of the cutting edge for engaging with a pin passing through said openings to lock said blade and holder in assembled relation.

16. A device of the character described comprising a rigid body, a work surface engaging face, means included by said rigid body for manual engagement for manipulating the device, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with the straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, a cutting blade pivoted within said rigid body, manually operable means for projecting said blade from said face, and adjustable means for determining the amount of projection of said blades from. said face.

17. A device of the character described comprising a rigid body, a work surface engaging face, means included by said rigid body for manual engagement for manipulating the device, a straight portion included by said body for guiding contact with a straight edge while said face is in sliding contact with work, a cutting blade pivoted within said body, means projecting from said body for engagement by a finger of the operator for projecting said blade from said face, and adjustable means for determining the amount of projection of said blade from said face.

JOHN C. STEINMETZ.

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