Woodworking – Planer – Adjustable cutter
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2001-09-04
Bray, W. Donald (Department: 3725)
Woodworking
Planer
Adjustable cutter
C144S117100, C403S109100, C403S343000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283179
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wood planing machine, more particularly to a wood planing machine which is provided with a carriage locking mechanism for releasably locking a cutter carriage thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional wood planing machine
10
according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,949 is shown to include a machine base
11
, left and right pairs of upstanding posts
12
, and a cutter carriage
13
.
As illustrated, the machine base
11
has opposite mounting sides
111
spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction, and opposite feed-in and take-out sides spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction. The upstanding posts
12
(only one is shown in
FIG. 2
) extend upward from the machine base
11
at the mounting sides
111
. The cutter carriage
13
is disposed above the machine base
11
, and has opposite end portions
130
mounted movably on the upstanding posts
12
for sliding movement of the cutter carriage
13
along the upstanding,posts
12
. A cutter device
140
(see
FIG. 3
) is mounted on the cutter carriage
13
, and is rotatable about a horizontal axis that extends in the transverse direction.
A pair of screw rods
15
(see
FIG. 2
) are mounted rotatably on, and extend upwardly from the machine base
11
at the mounting sides
111
to pass threadedly through the cutter carriage
13
at the opposite end portions
130
thereof. The screw rods
15
have lower ends coupled with a transmission rod
14
(see
FIG. 3
) via a gear assembly which are also disposed in the machine base
11
. A turning handle
16
is provided at the top end of one of the screw rods
15
such that rotation of the latter will cause the cutter carriage
13
to slide along the upstanding posts
12
so as to define a gap between the cutter carriage
13
and the machine base
11
for passage of a work piece
17
to be processed.
As best illustrated in
FIGS. 3
,
4
and
5
, a carriage locking mechanism
20
includes a manually operable handle
21
, two pairs of locking linkages
22
mounted respectively on two opposite ends of the handle
21
, and four post clamps
23
anchored on the cutter carriage
40
and associated with the upstanding posts
12
, respectively. Each of the locking linkages
22
includes first and second linkage members
221
,
222
connected pivotally to each other at inner ends thereof and to the handle
21
, and further connected pivotally to an adjacent pair of the post clamps
23
at outer ends thereof. Each of the second linkage members
222
is formed as two sliding pieces with a biasing spring
223
disposed therebetween. The handle
21
is movable against biasing action of the spring
223
from a releasing position (see
FIG. 4
) to a locking position (see FIG.
5
), where an adjacent pair of the post clamps
23
are forced toward a respective one of the right and left pairs of the upstanding posts
12
. At the locking position, the first and second linkage members
221
,
222
are disposed in a straight line. Thus, the carriage
13
is locked relative the upstanding posts
12
so as to retain the same at a desired height relative to the machine base
11
.
Some disadvantages that result from the use of the aforesaid conventional wood planing machine are as follows:
(i) It is noted that the carriage locking mechanism
20
employed in the conventional wood planing machine
10
includes a relatively large number of components, thereby resulting in a relatively long assembly time.
(ii) Fatigue of the springs
223
due to long tern use of the locking mechanism
20
will weaken the locking strength of the post clamps
23
relative to the upstanding posts
12
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a wood planing machine which is clear of the aforementioned drawbacks that result from the use of the conventional wood planing machine.
Accordingly, the wood planing machine of the present invention includes a machine base, left and right pairs of upstanding posts, a cutter carriage, moving means, and a carriage locking mechanism. The machine base has opposite mounting sides spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction, and feed-in and take-out sides disposed apart from each other in a longitudinal direction. The upstanding posts extend upward from the machine base at the mounting sides. The cutter carriage is disposed above the machine base, and has opposite end portions mounted movably on the upstanding posts for sliding movement of the cutter carriage along the upstanding posts. The moving means moves the cutter carriage along the upstanding posts for adjusting the height of the cutter carriage relative to the machine base. The carriage locking mechanism locks the cutter carriage at a desired height relative to the machine base, and includes a pair of post bracing members disposed above the cutter carriage, each having an elongate plate portion that extends in the longitudinal direction at one side of a respective one of the left and right pairs of upstanding posts, and two substantially U-shaped post embracing units that are connected to opposite ends of the elongate plate portion for embracing a respective pair of the upstanding posts. Each of the post bracing members is mounted on the cutter carriage. A right regulator plate is disposed above the carriage, and has a first end portion connected pivotally to the elongate plate portion of the right post bracing member, and a second end portion with an annular wheel accommodating slot formed therein. A left regulator plate is disposed above the carriage, and has a first end portion fixed to the elongate plate portion of the left post bracing member, and a second end portion overlapping the second end portion of the right regulator plate. The second end portion of the right regulator plate defines an annular shaft mounting hole therethrough in communication with the wheel accommodating slot, and having an axis offset from an axis of the wheel accommodating slot. A coupling shaft unit is disposed rotatably through the shaft mounting hole in the left regulator plate, and has an eccentric wheel fixed eccentrically thereto. The eccentric wheel is confined rotatably within the wheel accommodating slot in the right regulator plate so as to interconnect the left and right regulator plates. The eccentric wheel has an outer periphery in sliding contact with an inner periphery defining the wheel accommodating slot such that rotation of the coupling shaft unit in clockwise and counterclockwise directions results in synchronous rotation of the eccentric wheel within the wheel accommodating slot, thereby consequently causing movement of the left and right post bracing members toward each other or away from each other so as to cause the embracing units to clamp the posts or to release the posts.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5771949 (1998-06-01), Welsh et al.
patent: 5829499 (1998-11-01), Liao
patent: 6085812 (2000-07-01), Chiang
Bray W. Donald
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
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