Vibrating cutter tool circular cutting jig

A circular jig apparatus to allow cutting or marking of large circular holes in sheets of material using a tool with a cutting blade or marking device is disclosed. This apparatus includes a system to hold the hold the tool in place, adjust the size or radius of the circular hole, and guide the cutting blade or marking device around in a circle on the sheet of material. In particular the cutting tool may be a vibrating blade. A system is also disclosed to match the curvature of the cutting blade to the arc or radius of the circle being cut. A system is also disclosed to provide a depth stop for the cutting blade. A system to hold a wide variety of marking or dispensing devices for use with the circular jig is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

REFERENCES

The invention described herein relates generally to an apparatus which provides a convenient way to cut circular holes of different diameters in a wide variety of materials.

SUMMARY DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The invention described herein relates generally to an apparatus which provides a jig or guide for circular hole cutting with a vibrating cutting tool, allowing it to quickly and easily cut circular holes in a variety of materials. The circular holes can be of a wide range of diameters, with a relatively small set of jigs or guides, based on adjustments of the jigs or guides, allowing it to be used for a variety of holes, such as for speakers, ducts, and lighting fixtures. Because of use of the vibrating blade, or “vibro” cutting tool, there is minimal damage to finished surfaces, allowing it to be used where there are only small covering sections or trim plates to hide hole edges. The guide also allows for convenient one-handed operation when a surface is fixed in place, and generates minimal dust compared to most types of saws. Finally, it allows large, uniform holes to be cut in sheets of materials where there is inadequate space to use a conventional hole saw or jig saw.

One embodiment of this invention lets it cut circular holes ranging from 2″ to 14″ in diameter, by making several adjustments on the guide. Other embodiments include systems for holding a variety of cutting, piercing and marking implements to cut, pierce or mark sheets of material.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION—DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention and its various embodiments are described below, with reference to figures as necessary. Reference numbers are used to match particular elements described in the text with those shown in figures. Although the embodiments disclosed will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be used.

In particular, while this invention may be discussed in relation to its use with a vibrating blade cutting tool, it could clearly be used with a variety of cutting tools which may have flexible or thin cutting blades, such as, but not limited to, certain types of reciprocating saws.

FIG. 1shows a diagram of the vibrating blade cutting tool guide100in use. Vibrating tool101, such as, but not limited to, a Fein Multimaster, is normally used to cut relatively soft flat, sheet-like materials such as wood, plastic, fiberboard, and so on102using vibrating blade103. In some cases it may be desirable to cut a specific sized hole in the flat sheets for things such as ducts, sink basins, speakers, lighting fixtures, and so on. In this embodiment of the invention, a center hole104is made (under the spherical gripper105shown), and a pivot post106(also under the spherical gripper105) placed into the hole104. Note that other methods of attaching the pivot post106could be used, such as, but not limited to, clamping from above or below, magnets, a suction cup, or screwing the pivot post down. This may be particularly helpful if the circular hole cutting guide is being used to cut a hole in a material where the cut out disk is the desired final product, so should not be damaged. A suction cup would work particularly well for attaching the pivot post106to flat materials like plexiglass or glass. Also note that it is not required that this center hole104be drilled all the way through the sheet, a blind hole with a small screw could be used, making it easier to plug or fill the hole later. Also note that while the gripper105is described as spherical, it could have a variety of shapes for convenient gripping, such as, but not limited to, a knurled knob, an oval, or a bar, or could be minimized in size to make a smaller tool. The pivot post106could comprise a variety of materials and devices, such as a threaded metal bolt, a drill bit, a plastic or wooden peg, a magnetic device, and so on, it merely acts as a center pivot for slider bracket107which is used to allow length adjustment of a sliding arm, slider108, so that blade holder109can be placed at different radii from the original hole104, thus allowing holes of different radii to be cut in sheet102. This adjustable sliding arm or slider108can be made of a variety of materials, including but not limited to plastic, metal, wood, wire, chain, metal tape or string, and in particular may be rigid or flexible. In a particular embodiment of this invention, guide marks on the slider108can be used to set different hole radiuses as slider108is slid back and forth in slider bracket107. A variety of systems can be used to hold slider108in place in slider bracket107such as, but not limited to, clamps, set screws, and springs. These can be combined with foam, rubber, silicone or other “grippy” materials to help hold the slider in place. A spring retraction system such as tape measures use may also be employed to pull the slider108back to the either the slider bracket107or blade holder109, particularly if the slider is flexible such as wire, chain, metal tape or string. The beginning arc110of a hole being cut in sheet102can be seen inFIG. 1.

Note that in this case while the body101of the vibrating blade cutting tool is shown extending out parallel to the blade103, perpendicular to sheet102, in some models of these tools the body101can be rotated 90 degrees relative to the blade103where the blade attaches to the body of the tool such that the body101of the tool would be roughly parallel to the sheet of material102. This would allow hole110to be cut in the sheet of material102with very limited accessible clearance above the sheet of material102, as little as a few inches, showing one of the advantages of this invention relative to things like conventional hole saws or jig saws, which would require much more clearance above the sheet of material102. It is also apparent that in such an application, where the sheet of material was fixed in place, the invention could be used to cut a hole with just one hand needed to guide it, though another hand could also be used on gripper105if needed.

FIG. 2shows a diagram of a close up of the underside of the vibrating blade cutting tool guide200. Blade holder201has an elongated slot202cut in it and passing through the body of the blade holder, of a suitable size to hold vibrating cutting blade,203. The long direction of this slot is approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the slider can be adjusted, and is parallel to the direction of the flat of the vibrating blade. Note the slight curvature in blade203, this is because there is a rod204pressing thin, flexible blade203against the curved interior side205of the elongated slot202of blade holder201, thereby causing the blade203to take on a shallow arc approximately matching the arc needed for a large hole110being cut in a sheet of material102. Matching the curve of the slot202with the arc of the large hole provides a smaller cut line and cleaner edge than would be the case if a flat blade203were merely being maneuvered in a circle, for example by following a traced line on the surface of the sheet of material without the apparatus of this invention. In this embodiment rod204is the same as the slider206or108(FIG. 1) but in an alternative embodiment rod204could be a separate set screw set into blade holder201. Other ways and locations of having access to the set screw or rod204are intended to be covered by this disclosure. Other systems of holding the blade203into the blade holder201, such as, but not limited to, clamps, springs and pegs are also intended to be covered by this disclosure. Blade holder201is fastened to slider206, which is used to adjust the radius at which blade203is positioned from center hole104(FIG. 1) and thereby the radius of the hole110which is cut in the sheet of material102(FIG. 1). Pivot post207, slider bracket208and spherical gripper209are also shown in this diagram.

In another embodiment of this invention, if the cutting blade203is not wide and flexible enough to be bent, but rather narrow and stiff, the rod204could still hold the blade203into a slot and the blade holder201could still be used to guide the cutting blade in a large circle to cut out a circular hole in a sheet of material. Because the blade is narrow in such an embodiment, it is not as critical to bend the blade in an arc as described in the previous embodiment.

In another embodiment of this invention, the blade holder201could be used as a stand-alone device attached to the cutting blade203, attaching the blade203with a specific amount protruding through the slot202so that the blade holder201can be used as a depth stop for the cutting blade203. In this way the blade can cut any shape in a sheet of material without penetrating beyond a desired distance in the sheet of material. This would allow a groove to be cut in the sheet of material without cutting all the way through the sheet of material, if the blade protrusion is set to less than the thickness of the sheet of material. Such grooves could be used for decorative effects, or guide marks, or scribe lines for later “snapping” of the sheet of material. It would also allow cutting all the way through the sheet of material if the blade203protrusion is set to more than the thickness of the sheet of material, but prevent the cutting blade203from penetrating too far past the sheet of material on the far side of the sheet of material. This can be desirable if, for example, there are wires or plumbing behind a sheet of wallboard and the user of the tool does not want to accidently cut into them.

In another embodiment of this invention, it would also be possible to insert a cutting or marking item other than the vibrating blade cutting tool into the slot202. Examples could include a pen or pencil for marking a surface in a circle. Other examples could include a utility knife for cutting a circle in a soft material such as wallboard or ceiling tiles. More examples of this are discussed later.

Blade holder201, in this embodiment, is made of soft plastic, such as, but not limited to, polyethelene or Teflon. A variety of materials can be used, from soft to hard, like aluminum or stainless steel, since the rod204holds the vibrating blade203against the blade holder201, causing the blade and blade holder to vibrate together and thereby preventing the blade203from cutting through the blade holder. In another preferred embodiment the blade holder201is made of a metal such as, but not limited to, aluminum, which is hard enough not to wear away during use. In another embodiment the blade holder201could be made of a resin composite. It may also be desirable to chamfer or round the lower corners, e.g. the corners facing the sheet of material102(FIG. 1) in particular of the blade holder201in order to prevent sharp bottom corners of the blade holder201from vibrating against and/or scuffing the surface of the sheet of material102(FIG. 1). It may also be desirable to form the blade holder201in a convex shape, upwardly curved towards its edges, on at least its lower horizontal surface to prevent the edges or corners of the blade holder201from vibrating against and/or scuffing the surface of the sheet of material102(FIG. 1).

Some types of reciprocating type saw blades could also be used, providing they do not reciprocate up and down so much that they bang the blade holder against the material sheet102(FIG. 1) unacceptably, given that the blade is fixed to the blade holder201by the rod204in this embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments this invention is intended to cover such other types of cutting blades.

FIG. 3shows another embodiment of the invention300, in particular the blade holder301. In an embodiment of the invention, a coupling nut would be used between slider302(also209inFIG. 2 or 107inFIG. 1) and a rod or screw302which serves the purpose of rod204inFIG. 2. In an embodiment of the invention, the screw302would press a thin blade such as a vibrating blade203inFIG. 2against the curved side303of an interior slot304of blade holder301. The particular side303shown here has a radius of curvature corresponding to a 4″ hole which would be cut in a sheet of material. Thus, when the slider would be adjusted to a 4″ distance from a center hole such as104fromFIG. 1, and the screw302is screwed into threaded hole305in blade holder301and the vibrating blade was held down by the screw302, the vibrating blade would be held at a curvature which would exactly match that needed to trace a 4″ radius or 8″ diameter hole in the sheet of material.

Conversely, if screw303was moved from threaded hole305in blade holder301to threaded hole306on the other side of blade holder301, it would press a vibrating blade against the other side307of the slot304in blade holder301. The other side307of the slot304has a different and sharper radius of curvature, 2″ in this embodiment. Thus, by flipping or reversing the blade holder302on the end of the adjustable arm302(108inFIG. 1 or 206inFIG. 2) a 4″ radius hole could be cut in a sheet of material using the same blade holder301and vibrating blade. This gives a great deal of flexibility in hole sizes which can be cut in sheets of material by using a few different interchangeable blade holders, particularly since there does not need to be an exact match between the radius of curvature the vibrating blade is bent into and the radius of curvature of the hole being cut in the sheet of material, especially at larger hole sizes. Thus, using the 4″ radius side303of the blade holder301would allow the slider to be adjusted to give a 5″ radius hole, and a very smooth, uniform hole could still be cut in the sheet of material.

In an alternative embodiment of this invention, not shown, multiple slots304could be placed in the same piece of blade guide301(or201fromFIG. 2) material, each with a single arced side, or a double arced side as shown by303and307inFIG. 3, depending on how the set screw or rod system was configured. This would allow a variety of hole sizes to be formed in a sheet of material using a single blade guide template.

FIG. 4shows the circular hole cutting guide400in a side view. Shown are gripper401, blade holder402with slot403, pivot post404, and slider bar405. Slider bar405slides in and is adjusted to a particular hole radius using slider bracket406. Slider bar405can be held in place in slider bracket406by a variety of methods, such as bolts407and408shown. Other methods include spring loaded clamps or a threaded hole through the entire assembly, through which rod405is screwed to adjust the distance between pivot post404and blade holder402.

Also shown inFIG. 4are several systems for holding the circular hole cutting guide400down. In one embodiment, magnets409and410hold the circular hole cutting guide400down, pinning sheet of material411to be cut or marked down against a self healing cutting mat412which is mounted on backing support or cutting base413. In another embodiment, hole414can receive peg404to hold the circular hole cutting guide in place. In another embodiment, pin415holds the circular hole cutting guide400in place, with pressure from the hand on gripper401used to keep the circular hole cutting guide400from moving.

FIG. 5shows another embodiment500of the “blade holder” which is adapted to hold a variety of other devices besides the vibrating cutting blade discussed earlier. Holder501has a central opening502, which may have a variety of shapes but is illustrated here as approximately triangular. A gripping surface503which may be removable may comprise a variety of “grippy” materials such as adhesive strips, silicone rubber, and so on. A small counter pressing triangular surface504may be attached to the rod or screw505(which may be the same as, for example,302or204in previous diagrams), which may be moved forward in opening502as in other embodiments in order to hold cutting, piercing or marking device506against the interior surface of gripping surface503or opening502. Counter pressing surface504may, like holder501, have a gripping surface which may be removable comprising a variety of “grippy” materials such as adhesive strips, Velcro, silicone rubber, rubber, “sharkskin”, and so on, or may be roughened to improve grip. Locations508and509show where attachments may be made to the rod or screw505, either or both of these locations may include pivots to allow more versatile movement of the assembly500.

Examples of cutting, piercing or marking device506include, but are not limited to, pens, pencils, charcoal, chalk, markers, an Exacto or other blade in a handle which may rotate, super glue or other glue dispensers, a hot glue gun, a dispenser with nozzle tip holding glaze, paint, dye, glue or ink, a heated device such as a wood burner, soldering iron, or heated blade tip for cutting or scoring foam core board, a pointed tip for piercing, or a glass cutting or scribing blade. Embodiment500of this invention is particularly suited to holding generally cylindrical shapes for cutting, piercing or marking. Any embodiment of this invention may hold such a variety of cutting, piercing or marking devices. If a liquid such as glue is being dispensed, it may act as a fastening location for application of decorative items such as glitter or fabric. The cutting, piercing or marking device506is generally mounted in any embodiment such that its cutting, piercing or marking tip protrudes through the opening and is approximately perpendicular to the cross section of the opening502so that it can cut, pierce or mark a sheet of material such as411inFIG. 4 or 102inFIG. 1.

FIG. 6shows another embodiment600of the “blade holder” which is adapted to hold a variety of other devices besides the vibrating cutting blade discussed earlier. In this case the embodiment is adapted to hold cutting, piercing or marking devices which are generally flat on at least two sides. Opening601in holder602is generally rectangular, while movable surface603mounted to screw or rod604is approximately flat. In a preferred embodiment, a recess605sized and shaped for an Exacto style blade606is made in holder602opposite the movable surface603, and both are shaped with corresponding pin607and socket608to fit into the hole or slot on a standard Exacto blade606and thereby hold the blade606in place in the assembly600. As in the previous embodiment, grippy materials (not shown) may be mounted removably to the movable surface603and recess605or the opposing side of602. Also as in the previous embodiment movable surface604may be detachable from or pivot on screw or rod605.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the embodiments. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein may be used individually or in any suitable combination thereof. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the embodiments, in particular using a range of tools having a variety of cutting blade types in the apparatus. Accordingly, the present embodiments are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances.