Rotatable pivoting cutting tool

A tool is described as including a pivotable guide member through which a rotatable cutting blade extends. As the cutting tool is advanced over the object to be cut, the guide member pivots in response to contacting the object which allows the object to be compressed under the guide member if desired. The guide member includes rounded first and second ends which accommodate using the cutting tool by either dragging the tool rearwardly or pushing the tool forwardly over the object.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
The present invention relates to cutting tools and, more particularly, to 
cutting tools having a pivotable guide member and rotatable blade which 
are useful for cutting pliable objects such as fiberglass insulation, for 
example. 
2. Background of the Art 
As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,680 to Johnson, the process of cutting 
fiberglass insulation at a job site is often tedious and leaves room for 
significant error and waste. In this regard, a commonly employed method of 
cutting fiberglass insulation at a job site involves compressing the 
insulation with a board and cutting the insulation along an edge of the 
wood using a standard utility knife. Such a method is considered to be 
time consuming and often inaccurate. Further, the straight edge employed 
may shift which results in an insulation piece not being cut as measured. 
In an effort to address the aforementioned concerns, Johnson provides the 
art with a cutting tool which is used in association with a work board 
having a plurality of grooves which are received by the cutting tool 
blade. 
While the workboard may provide for accurate cutting operations, requiring 
a workboard upon which the insulation must be placed is considered to be 
an inefficient use of time. Further, the grooves appear to be linear which 
do not allow deviation to shape a particular piece if so desired. 
Another fiberglass insulation cutting tool which addresses some of the 
above described problems has been proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,852 by 
Napolitano. This patent relates to a hand held fiberglass insulation 
cutting tool designed to be dragged rearwardly over a surface of the 
insulation such that the fiberglass is cut and compressed using a single 
apparatus. While the above described cutting tool is considered to provide 
an advancement in the art, there are certain perceived drawbacks as to its 
design. For example, a hand held apparatus makes it impractical to 
effectuate a cutting operation for large pieces without the person having 
to be on their hands and knees or requiring placement of the insulation on 
a table to carry out a cutting operation. If the insulation has to be 
placed on a table, the cut piece must thereafter be returned to the 
installation location which is time consuming. As noted, the cutting tool 
can only be used by dragging the apparatus rearwardly in use which is 
undesirable under certain circumstances. Further, the cutting blade while 
touted as increasing the life of the tool would require replacement far 
more often than is required in accordance with the teachings of the 
present invention. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cutting 
tool which is easy and effective to use. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool 
which can be used upon positioning the object to be cut upon various 
substrates. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool 
wherein the replacement of parts can be carried out quickly and easily. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing, the present invention generally relates to a 
cutting tool comprising: 
a handle; 
a rotatable cutting blade including a peripheral cutting edge; and 
a pivotable guide member including a body having a slot through which said 
circular cutting blade extends to effectuate a cutting operation under 
said guide member. 
The cutting tool allows an individual to cut pieces of insulation to 
specific size requirements in an efficient and economical manner. As will 
be described in more detail below, the first and second ends of the guide 
member are rounded upwardly to assist in engaging the insulation piece to 
be cut and allowing for compression of the object being, if necessary. The 
handle is of sufficient length such that a cutting operation can be 
carried out from a standing position. Preferably, the handle is 
telescoping in nature to allow for length adjustment. The rotatable 
cutting blade and particularly the peripheral cutting edge may be formed 
from a carbide steel or other significantly hardened material which 
ensures a long and useful working life.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a blown apart perspective view of the 
cutting apparatus 10 in accordance with the teachings of the present 
invention. The apparatus generally includes a handle 12, a pivotable guide 
member 14 and a rotatable cutting blade 16. Optionally, but preferably, 
the apparatus also includes a first blade cover 18, a second blade cover 
20 and a selectively adjustable spacer 22. 
The handle 12 which preferably is at least 3.0 feet in length and is 
optionally telescoping includes a body portion 32 having a first end 24 
which includes first and second spaced apart legs 26 and 26A, 
respectively, which form a yoke 28. Each of the first and second legs is 
provided with an aperture 30 for receiving a fastener 52 for attachment of 
the rotatable cutting blade 16 within the yoke. 
The guide member 14 includes a substantially planar body 38 including a 
first surface 34 and a second surface 36. Extending from the body are a 
first end 40 and second end 42 which preferably are rounded upwardly which 
allows for engagement of the object to be cut. Extending upwardly from the 
first surface 34 of the guide member are first and second legs 44 and 44A, 
respectively, which are spaced apart on opposing sides of an elongated 
slot 48 through which the rotatable cutting blade extends. The guide 
member also generally includes first and second flanges 50 and 50A for 
attachment of the first blade cover 18 as will be described in greater 
detail below. Each of the first and second legs are provided with an 
aperture 46 for receiving the fastener 52. 
The guide member may be formed from a variety of different materials such 
as aluminum, stainless steel or plastic, for example. If formed from 
plastic, it may be desirable to use a transparent plastic, thus allowing 
the user to visually confirm that the cutting operation is following the 
intended path. 
The cutting blade 16 which preferably is circular in shape includes a 
substantially planar body 54 having an aperture 56 disposed along the 
axial center point and a peripheral cutting edge 58 which is sharpened 
along at least one side of the body to allow for cutting as the tool is 
advanced over the object to be cut. The body 54 or at least the cutting 
edge 58 thereof may be formed from a hardened material such as carbide 
steel, for example, to improve the useful life of the blade. 
The first blade cover 18 which is selectively removable generally includes 
an arcuate body 60 and first and second substantially planar ends 62 and 
64, respectively. The ends 62 and 64 may be bonded to the first surface 34 
of the guide member or releasably attached to flanges 50 and 50A provided 
along the first surface 34 of the guide member. The first blade cover also 
includes an elongated slot 68 through which the terminal first end 24 of 
the handle 12 extends upon assembly. The first blade cover 18 may also be 
formed from a metal or plastic material which can optionally be 
transparent. 
A second blade cover 20 which is designed to snap fit over the peripheral 
edge of the rotatable cutting blade is also contemplated. Thus, the second 
cover 20 includes a body 72 having a substantially U-shaped web 74 for 
receiving the peripheral edge. 
Referring to FIG. 4, the selectably adjustable spacer 22 extends through 
the retainer 82 attached along the first end 40 of the guide member such 
that accurate cutting operations can be carried out in proximity to a wall 
or barrier 92. Alternatively, the spacer can be adjusted within the 
retainer such that the end of the spacer is aligned with an edge or 
pre-marked pattern on the object being cut. This allows for a visual 
verification that the cutting blade is following the intended path. In 
order to adjust the spacer 22, the fastener 84 can be loosened and 
tightened as desired. 
Operation of the cutting tool 10 is illustrated most clearly with reference 
to FIGS. 2 and 3. The cutting tool 10 is advanced over an object 90 such 
as a piece of fiberglass or foam insulation such that the first end 40 of 
the guide member is pivoted upwardly and the second end 42 generally rests 
upon the substrate 94 over which the object 90 is positioned for cutting. 
As the cutting tool is advanced forwardly over the object, the guide 
member 14 may compress the object 90 by exerting force downwardly on the 
handle 12. The guide member thus pivots about fastener 52 such that the 
first end 40 rotates downwardly and simultaneously the second end 42 
rotates upwardly with respect to the object and substrate. As should be 
understood by a review of the foregoing description and reference to the 
accompanying drawings, the guide member of the cutting tool would pivot in 
the opposite direction if dragged rearwardly to effectuate a cutting 
operation. 
While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention 
disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects stated, it will be 
appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation 
and change without departing from the spirit thereof.