Abstract:
A sawhorse includes a base assembly, a workpiece support structure mounted on the base assembly and an attachment for the base assembly in the form of a tool carrier assembly comprising a flexible carrier sheet, a plurality of tool holding elements affixed to the carrier sheet and a plurality of fasteners fixedly affixing the carrier sheet a support member of the base assembly in a configuration providing access to tools held by the tool holding elements. The tool carrier assembly is positioned such that the assembly is below the support surface to allow the surface to support a workpiece without interference from the assembly and such that the tool carrier assembly does not impede movement of the base assembly between closed and open positions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates in general to sawhorses and, more particularly, to a sawhorse that has a tool carrier member relatively permanently attached to it. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Sawhorses are generally used in pairs to support construction-related or carpentry-related workpieces such as boards, planks, pipes, etc. Additionally, sawhorses provide a degree of ground clearance needed for some tools, such as saws, to function properly. 
     For convenience, construction workers or carpenters keep their tools in a tool carrier of some sort, with which the organization and relatively close proximity of their tools can be maintained, that is laid over or around the top or upper portion of a sawhorse. A tool carrier which covers the sawhorse&#39;s top surface can reduce or impede the stability of a workpiece supported on the sawhorse and/or impede opening and closing of the sawhorse on which the tool carrier is placed, and a tool carrier which is draped over the top of a sawhorse is also more likely to be damaged—either by the tools the workman is using of by the workpiece itself. Furthermore, the sawhorse tool carriers known in the prior art are all relatively loosely placed on the sawhorse. Because of this, the tool carrier can fall off the support and become lost relatively easily. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention avoids these limitations in the prior art by providing a sawhorse that has a tool carrier member relatively permanently attached to one of the support members in a manner which does not obstruct the workpiece support surface or impede opening and closing of the support members. 
     In preferred embodiments, the sawhorse includes a pair of support members that are pivotally connected at their top ends. The support members can be pivoted into a collapsed storage configuration or spread apart into an open working configuration. At least one foldable cross-brace helps secure the support members in the working configuration. 
     The tool carrier member has a variety of loops and pockets to hold a worker&#39;s tools and is conveniently located on the outside surface of one of the support members. A sawhorse according to the invention has advantages in that, because the tool carrier member is relatively securely attached to the support member, the tool carrier member is not likely to fall off the support member or be lost when the sawhorse is moved. Furthermore, because the tool carrier member does not cover the workpiece supporting surface, it is less likely to be damaged by a tool operating on the workpiece and the workpiece will be more securely supported on the surface. 
     Additionally, the sawhorse of the invention has a pair of flip-up workpiece restraints that restrict or prevent lateral movement of a workpiece supported on the sawhorse. These restraints also act as guides when sliding a workpiece across the support surface. 
     The invention also provides a sawhorse comprising a base assembly including a pair of support members each formed from a plastic material, the support members being connected to one another for movement between an open working configuration in which the base assembly is self-supporting in an upright position and a closed storage configuration. A workpiece support structure mounted on the base assembly and defines an upwardly facing support surface for supporting a workpiece when the base assembly is in its self-supporting upright position. An attachment for the base assembly is provided in the form of a tool carrier assembly comprising a flexible carrier sheet, a plurality of tool holding elements affixed to the carrier sheet and a plurality of fasteners fixedly affixing the carrier sheet to one of the pair of support members in a configuration providing access to tools held by the tool holding elements when the base assembly is in the open working configuration thereof. The tool carrier assembly is positioned (a) such that the tool carrier assembly is below the workpiece support surface to allow the support surface to support a workpiece without interference from the tool carrier assembly and (b) such that the tool carrier assembly does not impede movement of the base assembly between its closed storage configuration and its opened working configuration. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sawhorse of the present invention with the support members in an open working configuration; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sawhorse illustrated in FIG. 1 with the support members in a closed storage configuration; 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed frontal view of the rivet and portions of the tool carrier member and support member of the sawhorse of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line  4 — 4  in FIG; 
     FIGS. 5-7 are a perspective view and side views showing a workpiece restraint used on the sawhorse of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the sawhorse shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 9 is an end view of one of the support members, taken along the line  9 — 9  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the sawhorse shown in FIG. 1, shown with the cap member removed; 
     FIG. 11 is a detail view of the hinge structure encircled in FIG. 10; and 
     FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken through the line  12 — 12  as indicated in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a collapsible sawhorse, generally indicated at  10 , that has a base assembly that includes a pair of support members  12 ,  13  that are pivotally connected at their upper ends along a pivot axis  11 . An upwardly facing workpiece supporting surface  14  is located generally at the upper ends of the support members  12 ,  13 . FIG. 2 shows the sawhorse  10  in a collapsed or closed storage configuration with the support members  12 ,  13  generally adjacent to each other. 
     An attachment for the base assembly is provided in the form of a tool carrier member or assembly  16  that is attached to an outside surface of one of the support members, e.g.,  12 . The tool carrier member  16  comprises a substantially flat, flexible carrier sheet or base member  18  formed from rugged fabric or material such as canvas or leather. Alternatively, base member  18  may be formed from material such as flexible sheet plastic, nylon, or other rugged, lightweight abrasion-resistant materials. A plurality of tool holding elements in the form, for example, of a number of tool-receiving loops  20  and pockets  21  may be attached to base member  18 . For example, tool carrier member  16  includes horizontally arranged, upwardly opening pockets  21 , which are attached to the base member  18  along their lower edges. Loops  20  are also horizontally arranged with their respective openings oriented vertically and are attached near an upper edge of base member  18 . Another loop  22  can be opened and closed and has a horizontally oriented opening. Shown secured in FIG.  1  and released in FIG. 2, one end of loop  22  is releasably securable by, for example a hook-and-loop connection, indicated at  23 , or button fasteners. The tool carrier member  16  may, of course, include any combination of loops  20 ,  22  and pockets  21  or other tool retaining features. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tool carrier member  16  is coextensive with the support member  12  in the widthwise direction (i.e., is approximately the same width as the support member), and it is attached at the corners to the support member  12 . The tool carrier member  16  may alternatively be coextensive with the support member  12  in both the longitudinal and vertical directions, i.e., it may have essentially the same height and width of the support member to which it is attached. Still further, each of the support members  12 ,  13  may have a tool carrier member  16  attached to it if so desired. 
     As illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tool carrier member  16  is relatively securely attached to one of support members such as the support member  12  using a plurality of fasteners such as plastic rivets  24 . Tool carrier member  16  has rivet-receiving openings near each corner, and metallic retaining rings  26  extend through and are crimped around the periphery of each of the rivet-receiving openings to reinforce the openings. Each rivet  24  has a securing head  28 , which engages the associated retaining ring  26 , and a plurality of ramped retaining prongs  30 . As each rivet is pressed into an associated receiving opening, the ramped prongs  30  deflect radially inwardly to pass through the associated mounting opening and then resiliently return to their original positions so as to engage the inner surface of the support member  12  and retain the rivet in the receiving opening. An expansion pin  32  is pressed through the securing head  28  to a position between the ramped prongs  30  and extends substantially along the entire length of the rivet to secure the prongs  30  of rivets  24  in the non-deflected, retaining position. Other means for attaching the tool carrier member  16  to the support member include hook-and-loop connections, with attachment points either at the corners or along the edges of the tool carrier member, and button snaps which may be positioned at the corners and/or spaced along the edges of the tool carrier member  16 . 
     As further shown in FIG. 1, a workpiece support structure or cap member  34  (described in greater detail below) is mounted to the top ends of the support members  12 ,  13  and forms the upwardly facing workpiece supporting surface or support surface. A pair of flip-up workpiece restraint members or restraints  36 , shown in detail in FIGS. 5-7, are pivotally mounted within recesses  38  formed in the cap member  34 . The recesses  38  are upwardly facing and are located near opposite ends of the cap member  34 . When in a closed position (shown generally in FIG.  2  and in more detail in FIG.  6 ), the workpiece restraints  36  are located substantially entirely below the workpiece supporting surface  14 , such that the workpiece supporting surface  14  is unobstructed. When in an open position (shown generally in FIG.  1  and in more detail in FIG.  7 ), workpiece restraints  36  extend vertically above workpiece supporting surface  14  such that the workpiece restraints  36  present confronting and longitudinally opposed (i.e., at opposite ends of the cap member  34 ) vertical restraining surfaces  40 . The workpiece restraints  36 , and in particular the restraining surfaces  40 , serve as guides for workpieces being moved transversely across the workpiece supporting surface  14  and maintain lateral stability of a workpiece supported on the workpiece supporting surface  14 . 
     The workpiece restraints  36  each have a pair of pivot arms  42  extending from the opposite sides of a lower portion (relative to the open position) thereof. Each workpiece restraint  36  is press fit into the associated recess  38 , wherein each pivot arm  42  extends into an associated pivot arm-receiving opening formed in an inner surface of the recess  38  to hold the workpiece restraints  36  securely in place. Each pivot arm-receiving opening provides a journaling surface for the associated pivot arm, thereby allowing pivotal movement of the workpiece restraints  36 . 
     Each support member  12 ,  13  has a pair of vertically extending support legs  44 ,  46 , which are connected to each other by a cross brace  48 . Depending on the intended use of the sawhorse  10 , i.e., how much weight it will be required to support, the support members  12 ,  13  may have more than two support legs and may be connected to each other by two or more cross braces. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable for the support members  12 ,  13  to be identical. By forming the support members identically, mating or associated features or elements (described in greater detail below) may be formed at opposite sides of a given support member so as to confront or engage the respective mating or associated features on the other support member automatically when the support members are brought together, as shown in FIG.  2 . This identity of the support members also simplifies production and assembly of the sawhorse and reduces costs. 
     In particular, a pair of reinforcing ribs  50  extend along the length of the inside surface of each support leg  44 —as shown in FIG. 9, the reinforcing ribs  50  may be spaced so as to divide the width of the support leg  44  into generally equal dimensions—and a plurality of reinforcing ribs  52  extend along the length of the inside surface of the other support leg  46  of each support member. The relative spacing of the reinforcing ribs  50 ,  52  on the support legs of each support member  12 ,  13  is such that when the support members  12 ,  13  are in the collapsed position, the converging ribs  50 ,  52  fit easily between each other. 
     A sawhorse  10  according to the invention further preferably includes a two-piece latch member. More particularly, each support member  12 ,  13  has a bayonet pin portion  54  and a barrel portion  56  extending inwardly from the cross brace  48  at opposite ends thereof. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each bayonet pin  54  engages the associated barrel portion  56  upon convergence of the support members  12 ,  13  when moving support members  12 ,  13  to the collapsed position. (Again, the identity of the support members  12 ,  13  facilitates this engagement.) A press fit between the bayonet pins  54  and the associated barrel portions  56  retains the support members in the collapsed position for storage. 
     Another option (not shown) for retaining the support members in the collapsed position includes a hook-and-eyelet latch. Preferably, the sawhorse would have one or two such hook-and-eyelet latches. One support member, e.g.  12 , would have a hook member extending toward the other support member, which would have an eyelet member that the hook member would engage when the sawhorse is in the stored configuration. A hook-and-loop latch may also be utilized to retain the support members  12 ,  13 . 
     Each cross brace  48  has a handle portion  58  extending downwardly to allow a user to disengage the latch members and open the support members  12 ,  13  to the working position more easily. A plurality of non-skid members in the form of a pair of floor-engaging pads  60  made from a frictional, non-skid material (for example, rubber) are attached to lower ends of each of the support legs  44 ,  46 . 
     As noted above, the support members  12 ,  13  pivot about axis  11 . As shown in FIG. 10, a hinge configuration allowing relative pivotal movement between support members  12 ,  13  includes a series of hinge assemblies  62  spaced along the upper ends of the support members  12 ,  13 . Each hinge assembly  62  comprises a shaft member  64  and an interconnecting journaling member  66 , as shown more clearly in FIG.  11 . The series of shaft members  64  form the pivot axis  11 . Each journaling member  66  partially surrounds the periphery of the associated shaft member  64  to provide a journaling surface therefor. Each shaft portion  64  is joined to the respective support member  12 ,  13  to which it is attached by a pair of extension members  68 , with the distance the shaft portions are spaced above the support members being sufficient for attachment of the cap member  34  and to allow the support members  12 ,  13  to move into the collapsed position without obstruction. Similarly, the journaling members  66  are attached to the support members  12 ,  13  by base members  70  and are positioned so as to interconnect with the shaft members  64 . As illustrated, each support member has a set of shaft members at one end and a set of journaling members at the other end so that when the identical support members are positioned to face each other and fitted together, the series of shaft members  64  at one end of each support member  12 ,  13  engages the corresponding series of journaling members of the other one of the support members  12 ,  13 . Each shaft member  64  snaps into interconnecting relation with the associated journaling member  66  and is retained in position by means of a locking member  72  protruding upwardly from the base member  70 . 
     The shaft members  64  are slightly wider than the journaling members  66  such that a predetermined length  73  of each of the shaft members  64  remains exposed on either side of the journaling members. The cap member  34  has a plurality of downwardly extending, prong-like or fork-like connecting structures  75  shown in FIG. 12, formed from webs  77  that snap over the exposed lengths of the associated shaft members  64  to hold the cap member  34  in position. The cap member  34  has side walls  74  (FIG. 1) that substantially surround the upper ends of the support members  12 ,  13 , including the hinge assemblies  62 , to prevent accidental damage (pinching) to the workpiece or user caused by converging support members  12 ,  13 . The cap member  34  further forms the workpiece supporting surface  14  at an uppermost level of the sawhorse  10 . 
     A number of workpiece supporting structures in the form of supporting pads  76 , e.g. four, are positioned within upwardly facing recesses formed within the cap member  34 , such that upper portions of the supporting pads  76  protrude slightly above the workpiece supporting surface  14 . The supporting pads  76  provide a degree of protection to the workpiece supporting surface  14  from workpieces (and to workpieces from the workpiece supporting surface  14 ) and reduce slippage of workpieces supported on the workpiece supporting surface  14 . Standard and Metric measurement indicia  79  preferably are located on opposite sides of the cap member  34 . 
     Finally, the sawhorse  10  preferably includes one or more foldable cross braces  80 . The cross brace  80  comprises a pair of cooperating, extending arms  82 ,  84  that are each pivotally connected at one end to longitudinal edges of the support members  12 ,  13 . The extending arms  82 ,  84  are connected to each other at a pin connection  86  that allows relative pivotal movement between the extending arms  82 ,  84 . In the open working position, the extending arms  82 ,  84  are fully extended, forming a straight path between the pivotal connections at each support member  12 ,  13  (and defining the maximum pivotal movement of the support members  12 ,  13 ) that allows a direct, tensionally and relatively compressively rigid transfer of load between the support members  12 ,  13 . A flange  88  allows a user to manipulate the extending arms  82 ,  84  easily into a fully extended position (where a stop, not shown, prevents the extending arms  82 ,  84  from exceeding the fully extended position) and to pull the extending arms  82 ,  84  out of the fully extended position when collapsing the sawhorse  10 . 
     It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to and departures from the embodiments of the invention described above will occur to those having skill in the art. Such further embodiments are deemed to be within the scope of the following claims.