Base for a trim router

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10647019-B2
Application number	US-201415106125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2014
Priority date	Dec 26, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A tool support incorporates height adjustment and locking features in common components. A pivoting door is used to control the engagement of a height adjustment threaded shaft with the bearing flange of the power tool, with the position of the pivoting door controlled by a manual actuator. In one position the manual actuator allows the door to pivot outward to disengage the height adjustment shaft from the bearing flange. In a second position the manual actuator moves the door to engage the height adjustment shaft with the bearing flange to permit “micro” height adjustment by rotation of the height adjustment shaft. In a third position the manual actuator presses the door into the height adjustment shaft to effectively lock the shaft in position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tool support for supporting a power tool at adjustable heights, the power tool having an elongated body supporting a working tool, said tool support comprising:
a base configured to rest on a work surface;
a clamping cuff connected to said base, said clamping cuff configured to receive the elongated body of the power tool therethrough at adjustable heights above the work surface;
a bearing flange associated with the elongated body of the power tool, said bearing flange in sliding engagement with said clamping cuff;
said clamping cuff defining an opening with said bearing flange accessible through said opening;
a door movably mounted to said clamping cuff for movement toward said bearing flange through said opening;
said door and said bearing flange each including a threaded half-bore that together forming a threaded bore when said door is directly adjacent said bearing flange;
a threaded shaft disposed between said door and said bearing flange and configured to threadedly engage said threaded half-bore in said bearing flange when said door and said bearing flange are directly adjacent such that rotation of said threaded shaft adjusts a height of the elongated body of the power tool relative to said base; and
an actuator for selectively moving said door and said bearing flange directly adjacent to form said threaded bore.

2. The tool support of claim 1 , wherein said door is biased to a position that is not directly adjacent said bearing flange so that said threaded shaft cannot threadedly engage said threaded half-bore of said bearing flange.

3. The tool support of claim 1 , wherein said door is pivotably mounted at one end to said clamping cuff by a hinge and said actuator is movably supported on said clamping cuff to engage an end of said door opposite said hinge.

4. The tool support of claim 1 , wherein said threaded shaft includes a thumbwheel accessible outside said clamping cuff for manually rotating said threaded shaft.

5. The tool support of claim 1 , wherein said threaded shaft is rotatably supported in said door in threaded engagement with said threaded half-bore of said door.

6. The tool support of claim 1 , wherein said actuator includes:
a knob movably mounted on said clamping cuff;
a force generating component associated with said knob operable at different positions of the knob relative to the clamping cuff to apply a different force on said door pushing said door toward said bearing flange.

7. The tool support of claim 6 , wherein said force generating component is configured in a first position to generate no force on said door to permit the elongated body of the power tool body to move substantially freely within said clamping cuff, in a different second position to generate sufficient force to form said threaded bore and to permit threaded engagement of said threaded shaft to said threaded half-bore of said bearing flange, and in a different third position to generate sufficient force to restrict rotation of said threaded shaft within said threaded bore to thereby hold the power tool at a height above said base.

8. The tool support of claim 7 , wherein said clamping cuff and said knob include a detent interface to hold said knob in one of first, second and third positions corresponding to said first, second and third positions of said force generating component.

9. The tool support of claim 8 , further comprising indicia indicative of said first, second and third positions of said knob.

10. The tool support of claim 6 , wherein said force generating component includes a spring.

11. The tool support of claim 10 , wherein said spring is a leaf spring.

12. The tool support of claim 11 , wherein said force generating component includes:
a detent projection on said door arranged to contact said leaf spring; and
said leaf spring is configured to apply a different force on said detent projection depending on the location of a point of contact between said leaf spring and said detent projection.

13. The tool support of claim 12 , wherein said leaf spring is fastened at one end to said knob.

14. The tool support of claim 10 , wherein said spring is a wave spring.

15. The tool support of claim 14 , wherein said force generating component includes:
a roller rotatably supported on said door;
a cam plate associated and movable with said knob relative to said roller, wherein said cam plate is disposed between said roller and said wave spring and said wave spring is disposed between said cam plate and said knob, said cam plate having a cam surface configured to variably compress said wave spring between said cam plate and said knob depending on the location of a point of contact between said roller and said cam surface.

16. The tool support of claim 15 , wherein said cam surface of said cam plate includes a first zone that is offset from said roller when the knob is in a first position relative to said roller.

17. The tool support of claim 16 , wherein said cam surface of said cam plate includes at least two additional successive zones that are in contact with said roller when the knob is in at least two additional different positions relative to said roller in which the wave spring is successively compressed.

18. The tool support of claim 17 , wherein said clamping cuff and said knob include a detent interface to hold said knob in one of first and said at least two additional positions corresponding to said first, said additional successive zones of said cam surface of said cam plate.

19. The tool support of claim 18 , wherein said detent interface includes:
a groove corresponding to each of said first and said at least two additional positions of said knob; and
a detent spring mounted to said clamping cuff and having a detent portion configured to engage said groove.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert
• Bosch Tool Corp

Inventors

• Truesdale Timothy L
• Gonzalez Arturo

Classifications

• B23Q16/02

  Indexing equipment (specially adapted for gear-cutting machines B23F23/08) · CPC title

• Y10T409/307952

  Linear adjustment · CPC title

• Y10T409/306608

  End mill [e.g., router, etc.] · CPC title

• B23Q9/0028

  the guide means being fixed only on the machine · CPC title

• B27C5/10 Primary

  Portable hand-operated wood-milling machines; Routers · CPC title