Lee Valley Tools Ltd.

Other

Edwin C Tucker

Leonard G Lee

Lloyd Sevack

John S Lynn

Francis A McLean

Timothy C Frank

Gary W Lacoste

Michael S McGuire

Michel Perrier

Steve K Jones

Terry R Saunders

Brent K Hyde

Matthew Bruce Siemers

Michael T O'Malley

A router table fence having three nesting aluminum extrusions or spars, two of which lie under a longer third spar. By positioning the inner ends of the two lower spars adjacent to a router cutter protruding through a router table, it is possible to provide a fence, particularly when the lower spars are used with wood facings or sub-fences, that can be adjusted to closely surround the cutter. Lateral movement of the fence assembly adjusts the amount of cutter that contacts a workpiece manipulated past the cutter while contacting the fence. The cross sectional shapes of the spars are identical and are generally square, with structure that permits the upper, longer spar to rest on top of, and be attached in a manner permitting it to slide against, the lower two spars. T-shaped slots in each face of the spars accept fasteners that connect the spars together and also accept fasteners for a variety of accessories, such as hold-down devices and shields. Fence locks attach the fence to a variety of router table tops without the need for fence-receiving structures separately attached to the router table or table top. A micro-adjust stop can be used in cooperation with the fence locks to make very accurate and predictable adjustments in the position of the fence on a router table top. By using a shim behind one of the sub-fences in order to position it parallel to, but slightly offset from, the other sub-fence, it is possible to joint a surface of a board using a &ldquo;straight&rdquo; cutter.

Router table fence system

Bench planes of different sizes having interchangeable components and an adjustable frog providing full blade support with a frog foot that extends through the plane body mouth to terminate co-planer or nearly co-planer with the sole. The rear plane handle or tote is captured between and secured soley to tines projecting from the frog that is adjustably secured to alternative sizes of plane bodies in a manner permitting forward and backward adjustment of the frog position without removing the plane blade. Superior lateral blade position control is provided by set screws in the plane body and contacting blade side edges. Adjustments in the blade cutting angle without modifying the angle at which the blade is held by the frog in the plane may be made by forming a front bevel on the front surface of the blade.

Bench plane

A machine for use with a table-mounted router to form a wide variety of woodworking joints by manipulating a workpiece to engage the router cutter in predetermined locations, in some instances by reference to a joint element template, and in other instances by reference to predetermined lateral locations, to form joint elements with predetermined shapes and spacing.

Router table joint making machine

A pin router arm for attachment to a router table, and a mechanism that attaches to a plunge router to conveniently and accurately move the router body relative to the router base in order to adjust the position of a router bit in the router relative to the router table. Substantial excursions in router bit position are made by moving a handle up or down using a handle or a foot pedal, and small excursions are made using a micro-adjust mechanism that has a detent set screw and cooperating structure to facilitate adjustment of the micro-adjust mechanism by very small predetermined increments. The pin router arm can hold interchangeable sizes of guide pins and is easily and quickly mounted on and removable from the router table.

Pin router

A router table fence having three nesting aluminum extrusions or spars, two of which lie under a longer third spar. By positioning the inner ends of the two lower spars adjacent to a router cutter protruding through a router table, it is possible to provide a fence, particularly when the lower spars are used with wood facings or sub-fences, that can be adjusted to closely surround the cutter. Lateral movement of the fence assembly adjusts the amount of cutter that contacts a workpiece manipulated past the cutter while contacting the fence. The cross sectional shapes of the spars are identical and are generally square, with structure that permits the upper, longer spar to rest on top of, and be attached in a manner permitting it to slide against, the lower two spars. T-shaped slots in each face of the spars accept fasteners that connect the spars together and also accept fasteners for a variety of accessories, such as hold-down devices and shields. Fence locks attach the fence to a variety of router table tops without the need for fence-receiving structures separately attached to the router table or table top. A micro-adjust stop can be used in cooperation with the fence locks to make very accurate and predictable adjustments in the position of the fence on a router table top. By using a shim behind one of the sub-fences in order to position it parallel to, but slightly offset from, the other sub-fence, it is possible to joint a surface of a board using a 'straight' cutter.

A mechanism that attaches to a plunge router, particularly when the router is used in a router table, to conveniently and accurately move the router body relative to the router base in order to adjust the position of a router bit in the router relative to the router table. Substantial excursions are made by moving a handle up or down using a handle or a foot pedal, and small excursions are made using a micro-adjust mechanism that has a detent set screw and cooperating structure to facilitate adjustment of the micro-adjust mechanism by very small predetermined increments.

Router bit positioning mechanism

A router table sled for use with a router table and a router table fence includes an arm assembly that rides along the fence and a strut assembly that supports the workpiece. The arm assembly includes a slider that slides along an upper edge of the fence and an arm attached to an upper edge of the slide. The arm is usually in a position perpendicular to the slide. The arm is also coupled to a strut assembly that includes a main strut, and two additional struts located beneath the main strut. Each strut includes a longitudinally-centered T-shaped slot formed into top, front, and rear faces. The front faces of each strut lie substantially within the same plane. The two lower struts have opposing edges that are spaced a predetermined distance from each other. When a workpiece is clamped to the faces of the struts, an edge may be placed against the fence. The workpiece may then be moved across the router bit to produce a square cut.

Router table sled

A router baseplate and router table, and a method for accurately mounting the baseplate on a router base and machining table top material to receive the baseplate so that the router may be used suspended upside down in the table top. The router baseplate is a relatively thin plate centered on the router collet that remains attached to the router for free hand use and that is received snugly in a hole in the table top supported by a ledge adjacent to the hole. Two opposed sections of the ledge are omitted so that the router and baseplate can be installed in the table top from the bottom of the table top by tilting the router and baseplate, sliding the baseplate through the openings in the ledge, and then untilting the router and seating the baseplate edge on the ledge. Movement during use in the tabletop is limited by a pin fixed in the baseplate and received in a recess in the ledge.

Router baseplate and table

A router table assembly utilizing a steel plate table top penetrated by a stepped opening having slightly non-concentric round holes. A table top insert is received in the stepped opening, which insert is a round plastic disk having a ledge formed by a disk portion of smaller diameter which matches the smaller hole in the top and which smaller disk portion is slightly offset from the layer diameter portion. The disk is positioned in the top opening and is rotated approximately one-fourth revolution until the cam-like action of the non-concentric portion locks the disk in place. Jaw-like router base clamp mechanisms have plates adjustable to the size and shape of numerous router bases and can be positioned once, after which the router can be removed and remounted in exactly the same position if assured centricity in the table top.

Router table top

A clamping apparatus having a fixed post with a pad and a clamping jaw post with a threaded hole, through which a screw with a handle on one end and a pad on the other passes. The clamping apparatus may be used with rails so that on the bottom rail the fixed post is placed within one hole and the clamping jaw post placed within another hole such that a workpiece may be clamped between the two, and additionally a top rail with holes that the other ends of the fixed and clamping jaw post engage with may be added to prevent the workpiece from buckling when clamping pressure is applied by turning the screw.

Panel clamping apparatus

A twin screw vise utilizing two threaded vise screw rods that are journaled through flanged nuts fixed to a workbench top or to a rear, fixed bench jaw. The vise screws pass through a movable front jaw and into tee-castings and handles that may be turned to rotate the screws. Sprockets are located on each screw between the tee castings and the front jaw and are coupled by a chain. One of the sprockets is fixed in position on its screw during a calibration procedure. The other sprocket remains free to rotate on its screw, except when a spring loaded pin in the corresponding tee-casting engages a depression in the face of the sprocket, thereby coupling that sprocket to the tee casting and associated screw.

Twin screw vise

A woodworking bench and related fixtures providing an integrated system of bench features, vises, dogs, panel clamps, hold-downs and fixtures that cooperate to provide a highly flexible workpiece holding and clamping apparatus able to accommodate a wide variety of shapes and sizes of workpieces and hold such workpieces in an enormous variety of positions during numerous different operations. Two substantial slabs provide the bench top surface and carry a rectilinear pattern (in rows and files) of round, vertical bench dog holes. The rectilinear pattern of round bench dog holes with specific, equal spacing between holes, and similar holes in the edge of the top, facilitate great flexibility in clamping using conventional round dogs in the bench top holes and corresponding dogs in bench edge-mounted, or end-mounted vises. Such holes also accommodate other clamping, fixing and hold-down fixtures that contribute to flexibility and utility. The two slabs are separated by a tool trough, and optional bench top ends or caps span the ends of the slabs, unify the bench top structure and provide a fixed jaw for an end-mounted twin screw vise. Optional skirts form a deep longitudinal edge for the top and join the ends to form a rectangular frame for the top. Dog holes in the edge of the top permit workpieces to be fixed along the bench edge using the hold-down, two clamping bench dogs, or a fixed dog and either of the clamping dog or the twin screw vise.

Woodworking bench system

A hold-down utilizing a round, interchangeable post having annular barb-like ridges or projections that engage a workbench top through round holes that may be located at substantially any desired positions in the bench top. The post threads into a hold-down body having, on one side of the post, a yoke within which a gooseneck-shaped hold-down arm pivots on a pin received in yoke arms or forks and, on the other side of the post, a screw pressure point and T-shaped slot for receiving the head of a clamping adjustment screw that is journaled through one end of the clamping arm. The other end of the clamping arm terminates in a foot with a rounded pad for exerting pressure against a workpiece.

Bench hold-down

A vise for holding a workpiece, comprising a pair of generally opposed jaws having substantially planar faces, a clamping screw having at least one external thread centered around a longitudinal axis rotatably attached at one end to one of the jaws and passing through the other jaw, a clamping screw nut having at least one internal thread occupying an arc of no more than approximately 180.degree. and having a substantially planar forward face for bearing against a substantially planar and parallel rear face of the other jaw when the clamping screw is rotated to draw the jaws together and both the forward and rear faces are oblique to the axis of the clamping screw, a rod attached to a handle that, when depressed, moves the rod so that its movement moves the nut substantially transverse to the axis of the clamping screw, a foot pedal attached to an actuator that, when the foot petal is depressed, moves the clamping nut substantially transverse to the axis of the clamping screw, at least one guide rod rigidly attached at one end to one of the jaws, and an elastic cord attached between the other end of the guide rod and the other jaw.

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Edwin C Tucker