Woodworking – Workbench
Patent
1988-04-08
1989-10-24
Bray, W. Donald
Woodworking
Workbench
83574, 108 83, 108 90, 144 1R, 144287, B27C 900
Patent
active
048755133
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to portable work benches.
It is well known that a useful work bench can be produced by mounting a wooden bench top upon a collapsible support structure. The bench top may be in two separable parts. A vice mechanism is usually provided; this may be a separate element mounted on the bench top or may incorporate the separable bench top parts as vice jaw members.
A wide variety of hand held power tools are available for wood working and allied purposes. These tools are produced by many different manufacturers and include circular saws, jig saws, routers and powered planers. For more serious D.I.Y. or professional use, working tables are available which provide a mounting for the power tool. Thus, taking the circular saw as an example, saw tables are available which have a circular saw mounted beneath a working surface, the saw blade projecting through a slot in that surface.
It is an object of this invention to provide a more versatile work bench which may be used in one mode as a work bench for hand tool operations and be used in another mode to provide a fixed mounting for a power tool.
Accordingly, the present invention consists in one aspect in a work bench top assembly comprising a bench top adapted for mounting on a supporting structure and having an aperture therein; a removable cover plate receivable in the aperture to define with the bench top a substantially continuous working surface and an insert plate receivable in the aperture in substitution for the cover plate, the insert plate having a tool opening and mounting means for mounting a power tool beneath the insert plate in such a manner that the powered tool element of the power tool extends through the tool opening for operations upon a work piece supported on the bench top.
Advantageously, the bench top and the removable cover plate are formed principally of wood and the insert plate is formed principally of metal.
Suitably, the bench top is formed of two separable parts abutting at a join line, the aperture being positioned as to open to said join line.
Preferably, the mounting means on the insert plate are adapted for engagement with a plurality of different power tools.
In the preferred form of this invention, with a bench top and cover plate both of wood defining together a substantially continous working surface, the portable work bench can be used in conventional manner with hand held tools, whether powered or not. By replacing the cover plate by an insert plate having mounted thereto a power tool such as a circular saw, the work bench according to this invention is converted in a very simple fashion to a power bench.
This invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a portable work bench according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bench top forming part of the work bench shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively plan and front views of a removable cover plate for use with the bench top of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified portable work bench according to this invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bench top for use with the work bench shown in FIG. 4; and
FIGS. 6A and 6B are plan views of alternative insert plates for use with the work benches shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4.
The work bench shown at 10 in FIG. 1 comprises a bench top 12 and a collapsible suport structure 14. The structure 14 comprises a frame 16 secured to the underside of the bench top and two leg assemblies 18 pivotally mounted at opposite ends beneath the frame. A bracing member 20 extends between the two leg assemblies; this may take the form of a removable shelf or a linkage which folds as the structure is collapsed.
The bench top, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed in two separable parts. One part 22 is rigidly secured to the frame 16 whilst the other 23 is movable with respect to the frame through the action of a vice mechanism shown generally at 24. the details of the vice mechanism form no part of this invention and need
REFERENCES:
patent: 3734151 (1973-05-01), Skripsky
patent: 4186784 (1980-02-01), Stone
patent: 4236599 (1980-12-01), Luff et al.
patent: 4265283 (1981-05-01), Nash et al.
patent: 4350193 (1982-09-01), McCambridge et al.
patent: 4635692 (1987-01-01), Hulse et al.
patent: 4733704 (1988-03-01), Wolff
Bray W. Donald
Skilten Tools Limited
LandOfFree
Portable work bench does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Portable work bench, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Portable work bench will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1583323