Reciprocating saw

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776263-B2
Application number	US-201414296892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 2010
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A power tool includes a housing, a motor, and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a driven gear that is rotated by the motor. The driven gear is vertically-oriented within the housing and has an upper portion and a lower portion. The drive mechanism also includes a connecting rod coupled to the driven gear to translate rotary motion of the driven gear into reciprocating motion, and an output shaft coupled to the connecting rod to reciprocate relative to the housing through a cutting stroke and a return stroke. The drive mechanism further includes a counterweight coupled to the driven gear for rotation with the driven gear. The counterweight moves through the upper portion of the driven gear during the cutting stroke of the output shaft, and moves through the lower portion of the driven gear during a return stroke of the output shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reciprocating saw comprising:
a housing;
a motor positioned within the housing, the motor including a pinion rotatable about a motor axis; and
a drive mechanism positioned within the housing and coupled to the motor, the drive mechanism including
a driven gear that engages the pinion and is rotated by the motor, the driven gear being vertically-oriented within the housing with the motor axis extending through a center of the driven gear to divide the driven gear into an upper portion and a lower portion,
a connecting rod coupled to the driven gear to translate rotary motion of the driven gear into reciprocating motion,
an output shaft coupled to the connecting rod to reciprocate relative to the housing through a cutting stroke and a return stroke, the output shaft configured to support a tool element, and
a counterweight coupled to the driven gear and rotating with the driven gear through a path and in a same direction, the counterweight moving through the upper portion of the driven gear during the cutting stroke of the output shaft, and moving through the lower portion of the driven gear during a return stroke of the output shaft.

2. The reciprocating saw of claim 1 , wherein the output shaft reciprocates along a spindle axis, and wherein the spindle axis is generally parallel to the motor axis.

3. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a rearward portion having a handle, a forward portion supporting a shoe, and a longitudinal axis extending through the rearward and forward portions, and wherein the motor axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

4. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a rearward portion and a forward portion, wherein the rearward portion has a handle, and wherein the output shaft is configured to support the tool element adjacent the forward portion.

5. The power tool of claim 4 , wherein the output shaft reciprocates along a spindle axis and the counterweight rotates along a path, and wherein as the counterweight moves through a rearward half of the path, the counterweight generally moves toward the spindle axis, and as the counterweight moves through a forward half of the path, the counterweight generally moves away from the spindle axis.

6. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the driven gear rotates about a first axis, wherein the counterweight rotates about a second axis, and wherein the first and second axes are coaxial.

7. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the connecting rod and the counterweight are coupled to the driven gear by a pin that is offset from a central axis of the driven gear.

8. The power tool of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes two clamshell halves coupled together along a plane, and wherein the driven gear rotates about an axis that is perpendicular to the plane.

9. The reciprocating saw of claim 1 , wherein the driven gear and the counterweight are separate elements.

10. A reciprocating saw comprising:
a housing including a rearward portion and a forward portion, the rearward portion having a handle;
a motor positioned within the housing, the motor including a pinion that rotates about a motor axis;
a trigger supported by the handle and operable to control the motor, the trigger positioned above the motor axis;
a drive mechanism positioned within the housing and coupled to the motor, the drive mechanism including
a driven gear that engages the pinion and is rotated by the motor,
an output shaft driven by the motor to reciprocate relative to the housing, the output shaft configured to support a tool element adjacent the forward portion of the housing, and
a counterweight fixed relative to the drive gear and rotating with the driven gear through a path and in a same direction, the counterweight driven by the motor to rotate relative to the housing through the path, as the counterweight moves through a rearward half of the path, the counterweight generally moves in an upward direction, and as the counterweight moves through a forward half of the path, the counterweight generally moves in a downward direction.

11. The reciprocating saw of claim 10 , wherein the counterweight and the driven gear rotate about an axis that intersects the motor axis.

12. The reciprocating saw of claim 11 , wherein the axis of the counterweight and the driven gear is perpendicular to the motor axis.

13. The reciprocating saw of claim 10 , wherein the driven gear is vertically-oriented within the housing.

14. The reciprocating saw of claim 10 , wherein the drive mechanism further includes a connecting rod coupled to the driven gear and the output shaft to translate rotary motion of the driven gear into reciprocating motion of the output shaft.

15. The reciprocating saw of claim 14 , wherein the connecting rod and the counterweight are coupled to the driven gear by a pin that is offset from a central axis of the driven gear.

16. The reciprocating saw of claim 10 , wherein the housing includes two clamshell halves coupled together along a plane, and wherein the counterweight rotates about an axis that is perpendicular to the plane.

17. The reciprocating saw of claim 10 , wherein the output shaft reciprocates along a spindle axis that is generally parallel to and spaced apart from the motor axis.

18. The reciprocating saw of claim 17 , wherein the spindle axis is positioned above the motor axis.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Adams Joshua
• Denissen Ryan J

Classifications

• B23D49/162

  Pad sawing devices · CPC title

• B23D49/10

  Hand-held or hand-operated sawing devices with straight saw blades · CPC title

• F16J7/00

  Piston-rods · CPC title

• B23D51/161 Primary

  with dynamic balancing · CPC title

• B23D51/16 Primary

  of drives or feed mechanisms for straight tools, e.g. saw blades, or bows · CPC title