Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Other

Reinhold Meditz

William L Gabriel

Henry A Sygnator

Donald E Bergstrom

Mohamed K Wagdy

Robert W Wright

Frank C Howard

In pneumatically powered combustion-powered fastener-driving tool including a nosepiece, a mechanism is provided for positioning the tool relative to an opening in a workpiece to be fastened to another workpiece. A probe connected to an actuator used in such a tool, preferably via a spring strip, so as to be laterally movable extends into the opening to align the nosepiece so that a fastener can be precisely driven. The probe has a surface engageable by a driven fastener to move the probe laterally and from the opening as the tool recoils. Optionally, a guide spaced from the probe and mounted pivotally is adapted to bear against the workpiece with the opening. The probe and the guide have respective grooves defining a channel for guiding a driven fastener.

Positioning mechanism for powered fastener-driving tool

Wire nails are collated by means for conveying the nails in a specified manner and by means comprising a wheel for engaging keyways defining flat surfaces on the shanks of the nails. Each nail is rotated by the wheel, about an axis of the shank of such nail, to such extent as may be then necessary to orient the keyways of such nail and of other nails with such surfaces defining a plane. The wheel fits between end surfaces defined by the keyways so as to cause the keyways that have been engaged by the wheel to define a continuous channel.

Machine and methods for collating wire nails having shank keyways

A substitute strip of collated nails having cylindrical shanks of an uniform diameter, which is smaller than the uniform diameter of the shanks of the nails of a standard strip, and being collated by a pair of tapes. Each tape extends across the nail shanks and is adhered by an adhesive layer to a respective one of diametrically opposed areas on the shank of each nail of the substitute strip. As distinguished from the standard strip, at least one tape of the substitute strip has an outer rib extending along such tape. Because of the outer rib or outer ribs, the substitute strip and the standard tape can be interchangeably fed by a nail-feeding magazine of a rapidly acting, nail-driving tool.

Collated nail strip

Growing community of inventors

Lake Zurich, IL, United States of America

Reinhold Meditz