Patent ID: 7942174
Filing Date: 2011-05-17
Classification: B23D,B27B,B27C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A feather board apparatus, for holding a work piece against a guide surface as the work piece is guided along in a feed direction and for precluding motion of the work piece in a direction opposite the feed direction, the apparatus comprising: a feather board body, an infeed side feather board clamping arrangement, and an outfeed side feather board clamping arrangement; the feather board body defining first and second faces thereof, a longitudinal axis thereof, infeed and outfeed sides thereof disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, and a transverse edge thereof connecting the first and second faces and extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis; the feather board body also defining a plurality of fingers extending at an angle from the transverse edge, with each finger having a distal end thereof configured for sliding contact with the work piece, and the distal ends of the plurality of fingers being adapted for contacting and defining a clamping plane of the feather board body extending substantially along the feed direction and spaced a desired clearance distance from the guide surface when the feather board apparatus is mounted adjacent the guide surface, to thereby form a desired clearance between the clamping plane of the feather board body and the guide surface for passage therethrough of the work piece; the infeed side feather board clamping arrangement being configured for applying an infeed side clamping pressure at an infeed side clamp point for retaining the infeed side of the feather board apparatus at the clearance distance from the guide surface, and the outfeed side feather board clamping arrangement being configured for applying an outfeed side clamping pressure at an outfeed side clamp point for retaining the outfeed side of the feather board apparatus at the clearance distance from the guide surface; the infeed side and outfeed side feather board clamping arrangements being cooperatively configured for limiting the outfeed side clamping pressure to a value that is lower than the infeed side clamping pressure, to provide a limited amount of slippage at the outfeed clamping point as the work piece is fed through the clearance between the contact plane of the feather board apparatus and the guide surface with an accompanying limited amount of pivoting of the feather board apparatus about the infeed side clamping point, and thereby allow for a limited reduction in clamping pressure applied to the work piece by the clamping plane of the feather board body.