Abstract:
The multipurpose framing and layout guide kit has two components or guides, which are capable of accomplishing or assisting in virtually every measurement, layout, marking, and scoring function that may be required in the construction of a conventional frame structure. The first component comprises a triangular protractor having degree, common rafter slope, and hip/valley rafter slope scales thereon. A linear rule extends from one side of the triangle. The second component comprises a stud spacing gauge having a linear rule extending between the two stud spacing components. Each of the rules has a closed slot with a series of lateral notches therein for holding a marking, cutting, or scoring tool as the rule is moved over a panel surface. A fence or stop is provided at the first end of each rule and normal thereto for positioning and guiding the device relative to the edge of a panel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to carpentry tools and devices. More specifically, the present invention is a kit that has: an elongate linear scale, including a protractor with multiple angle and slope scales; and a stud spacing gauge, including a linear scale. Both components include slots having a series of marking and cutting guide notches therein.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Carpentry, and particularly the building construction trade, has traditionally utilized a number of different measuring and layout tools and guides in such work. Such devices range from rigid and flexible/retractable linear measuring rules, tapes, and chalk lines, to protractors for measuring and marking gable angles and slopes, to various linear, angular, and arcuate cutting and marking guides. The carpentry and construction world is replete with such tools and devices. Such tools and gauges are used throughout the construction of a building structure, with protractors and slope gauges, as well as linear measurement devices, being particularly valuable in the layout and construction of gabled structures.  
         [0005]     Various attempts have been made to combine different features of such tools and devices into single devices in order to reduce the need to carry multiple tools to the job site in the field. Such combination tools are particularly valuable in the construction of gabled or angled structures, as noted above, where both angular and linear measurements, marks, and cuts are required. However, no single tool, device, or kit provides for all of the measurement and layout requirements for the construction of gabled structures, while also providing a gauge for conventional stud spacing layout for wall and gable framing.  
         [0006]     Thus, a multipurpose framing and layout guide kit solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The multipurpose framing and layout guide kit has a pair of guides that, when taken together, provide essentially all of the measuring, layout, marking, and cutting guide and tool features required for the construction of a conventional frame structure having a gabled roof. The first component comprises a right triangular protractor having scales for angular degrees and common and hip/valley rafter slopes. The protractor includes an elongate linear measurement scale or rule extending from one of the two right angle sides. The second guide comprises a linear measurement rule having an open stud gauge slot at one end and a stud alignment stop at the opposite end. The stud slot is placed about a wall or gable stud and the next stud is positioned adjacent the stop to provide proper spacing (e.g., sixteen inches on center) between studs during construction. The span between the stud slot and the stop includes an elongate measuring rule.  
         [0008]     Each of the gauges or components of the present kit includes an elongate closed slot formed in the general center of the measuring rule portion, with each slot having a series of laterally disposed marker or tool notches therein. These notches permit the marker or tool to be positioned accurately therein as the gauge is drawn along or over a surface to cut, mark, or score the surface as desired. In each component a fence or stop is provided normal to the measuring rule with its slot and notches. Each of the two gauges of the present kit may also serve as a compass, due to an external pivot recess formed at the origin point of the linear and/or angular scales, as appropriate. The pivot recess is placed about a nail or other pivot pin and rotated to form a circular arc or positioned to define an angle, as desired. The gauges or components of the present framing and layout kit may be formed of virtually any suitable material, but are preferably formed of a durable metal, such as stainless steel. Other less costly materials may be used alternatively, if so desired, e.g., aluminum, plastic, wood, etc.  
         [0009]     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1A  is a fragmented top plan view of the protractor portion of the first component of a multipurpose framing and layout guide kit according to the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1B  is a fragmented top plan view of the opposite distal end of the linear scale portion of the first component of the multipurpose framing and layout guide kit.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an environmental perspective view of the kit component of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  in use to mark or scribe a line normal to a panel edge.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an environmental perspective view of the kit component of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  being used to mark or scribe a line parallel to a panel edge.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is an environmental perspective view of the kit component of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  being used to mark or scribe a line at an acute angle to a panel edge.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the second, stud spacer gauge component of the present multipurpose framing and layout guide kit.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is an environmental perspective view of the kit component of  FIG. 5  in use as a stud spacer gauge. 
     
    
       [0017]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The present invention comprises various embodiments of a multipurpose framing and layout guide kit for use in conventional frame building construction. While the present kit comprises two components, each component may be used separately if so desired, with it being understood that the overall function provided by the present kit is somewhat limited if only one of the components is used.  
         [0019]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  of the drawings provide top plan views of the two opposite end portions of a gable framing and layout guide  10  of the present kit. The guide  10  includes a flat, straight, elongate, rigid rule  12  having a first end portion  14  (of  FIG. 1A ) with a first end  16 , and an opposite second end portion  18  ( FIG. 1B ) with a second end  20 . A continuous linear measurement scale  22  (inches and feet, or metric, etc., as desired) extends from the first end  16  to the second end  20  of the rule  12 . It will be understood that the intermediate portion of the rule  12 , from about the nine-inch point of the scale  12  in  FIG. 1A  to about the forty-inch point of the scale  12  in  FIG. 1B , is not shown in order to provide sufficient detail in the drawings while fitting both  FIGS. 1A and 1B  onto a single sheet. The scale  22  may include a supplemental, secondary fractional or other scale  23  along the opposite side of the rule  12 , if so desired.  
         [0020]     The rule  12  comprises a first side  24  and opposite second side  26 , or upper and lower portions, with the two sides being separated by and defining a cutting and marking slot  28  therebetween. The slot  28  extends substantially the entire length of the rule  12 , with the two sides  24  and  26  of the rule  12  being connected only at the extreme ends  16  and  20  of the rule  12 . The slot  28  includes first and second opposed edges, respectively  30  and  32 , with the slot edges  30  and  32  having a series of cutting and marking notches  34  and  36  disposed therealong. (Alternatively, the cutting and marking notches may be applied to only one of the slot edges  30  or  32 , if so desired.) The cutting and marking notches  30  and  32  provide for the placement of a tool point (e.g., pencil, crayon, utility knife point, etc.) therein, with the tool point being held in place relative to the guide  10  by the selected notch as the guide  10  is moved over the workpiece. This procedure is illustrated in  FIG. 3  and discussed further below.  
         [0021]     The first end portion  14  of the rule  12  includes a right triangular protractor  38  extending therefrom, with the protractor  38  providing additional functions for the guide  10 . The triangular protractor portion  38  is formed by a first leg comprising the first end portion  14  of the rule  12 , a straight second leg  40  extending from the first end  16  of the rule  12  and normal thereto, and a straight hypotenuse  42  forming the third leg of the triangle  38 . The hypotenuse  42  is preferably at a forty-five degree angle to the two legs  14  and  40 , but may form other angles (e.g., thirty and sixty degrees, etc.) with the two legs  14  and  40 , as desired.  
         [0022]     The hypotenuse  42  of the triangle  38  is formed somewhat similarly to the rule  12 , with the hypotenuse  42  having opposite first and second sides  44  and  46 , which define a smooth, straight guide slot  48  therebetween. The guide slot  48  may be used to view the alignment of the edge of a gable member or other edge or line therethrough, for aligning the edge or line with a slope scale disposed along the slot  48 . In the example of  FIG. 1A , a hip and valley rafter slope scale  50  is provided along the first side  44  of the hypotenuse leg  42 , with a common rafter scale  52  applied on the opposite side of the slot  48  to the second side  46  of the hypotenuse  42 . A degree scale  54  may be applied to the hypotenuse  42  as well, e.g., along the outer edge of the first side  44  of the hypotenuse leg  42 , as shown in  FIG. 1A .  
         [0023]     The second leg  40  of the triangular protractor  38  is configured somewhat like the hypotenuse  42 , in that it is also formed of opposite first and second sides, respectively  56  and  58 , which define a smooth, straight guide slot  60  therebetween. The second leg guide slot  60  may include a linear measurement scale  62  therealong on one of the two sides  56  or  58  of the second leg  40 , as desired. The second leg  40  also includes a fence  64  extending substantially the entire length of the leg  40 . All of the various components of the guide  10 , excepting the fence  64 , are coplanar with one another and define a relatively thin and flat plane. The fence  64  is normal to and extends in both directions beyond the plane of the remainder of the guide  10 , for placement along the edge of a workpiece, as desired. This operation is illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings, and discussed in detail further below.  
         [0024]     The protractor slope and angular degree scales  50 ,  52 , and  54  all relate to an origin point located at the extreme first end  16  of the rule  12 , along its outermost edge. A pivot detent  66  is formed in the edge of the rule  12  at this point, for pivoting about a fixed pin (nail, screw, etc.) in order to swing an arc using one of the cutting and marking notches  34  or  36 , or to measure or mark a slope or angle using one of the scales  50  through  54 . This procedure is shown generally in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, and explained in detail further below.  
         [0025]     The gable framing and layout guide  10  of the present kit provides a large number of functions in laying out, marking, and cutting or scoring various panels and structural members used in conventional frame building construction.  FIG. 2  illustrates one means of using the present guide  10 , to mark or cut a straight line normal to a panel edge. In  FIG. 2 , the device  10  has been placed atop a panel P 1 , with the fence  64  of the guide  10  resting along the edge E 1  of the panel P 1 . The guide  10  may be slid across the surface of the panel P 1  with the fence  64  running along the edge E 1  of the panel until the edge of the rule  12  is positioned as desired, and the rule  12  edge used as a guide for a cutting or marking tool T 1  to produce a line, score, or cut perpendicular to the edge E 1  of the panel P 1 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates another means of using the present guide  10 , to form a line, cut, or score parallel to a panel edge. In  FIG. 3 , the fence  64  of the guide  10  has again been placed along the edge of a panel, e.g., the edge E 2  of a panel P 2 . The cutting or marking tool (concealed within the hand H of the user of the tool in  FIG. 3 ) is positioned within the desired guide notch  34  or  36 , as desired. Each of the notches  34  and  36  is aligned with one of the units, or a major fraction thereof, of the linear measurement scale  22  disposed along the rule  12 . Preferably, each row of notches  34  and  36  is offset from one another, in order to effectively double the number of alignment notches provided. In other words, the notches along each edge  30  and  32  of the slot  28  may be positioned e.g., one-half inch apart, with the notches  34  along the edge  30  being staggered one-quarter inch from the notches  36  of the edge  32 . Other spacing may be used as desired. Once the cutting or marking tool has been positioned in the desired notch  34  or  36 , the gable framing and layout guide  10  is drawn over the surface of the panel P 2  with the fence  64  riding along the edge E 2  of the panel. The tool resting within the selected notch  34  or  36  thus forms a mark, cut, or score line L along the panel P 2 , parallel to the edge E 2  of the panel.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  of the drawings illustrates the use of the guide  10  in laying out a slope line across a panel P 3 . In  FIG. 4 , the end of the fence  64  coinciding with the immediately adjacent pivot detent  66  is placed on the edge E 3  of the panel P 3  at the origin location for the line, cut, or score to be made. The guide  10  is rotated about the pivot detent end of the fence  64  (a nail, screw, etc. may be used as a pivot point, as desired) until the desired slope (as measured using one of the two slope scales  50  or  52 ) or angle (as measured using the degree scale  54 ) is indicated relative to the panel edge E 3 . The guide  10  is held in this position as desired, and the mark, score, or cut is made using the edge of the rule  12  as a guide for the cutting, marking, or scoring tool T 2 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  provides a top plan view of the second component of the present kit, comprising a stud spacing guide  110 . The stud spacing guide  110  comprises a flat, straight, elongate, rigid rule  112  having a first end portion  114  with a first end  116  and an opposite second end portion  118  with a second end  120 . A continuous linear measurement scale  122  extends from the first end  116  to the second end  120  of the rule  112 . The scale  122  may include a supplemental, secondary fractional or other scale  123  along the opposite side of the rule  112 , if so desired.  
         [0029]     The rule  112  comprises a first side  124  and opposite second side  126 , or upper portion and lower portion, with the two sides being separated by and defining a cutting and marking slot  128  therebetween. The slot  128  extends substantially the entire length of the rule  112 , with the two sides  124  and  126  of the rule  112  being connected only at the extreme ends  116  and  120  of the rule  112 . The slot  128  includes first and second opposed edges, respectively  130  and  132 , with the slot edges  130  and  132  having a series of cutting and marking notches  134  and  136  disposed therealong. (Alternatively, the cutting and marking notches may be applied to only one of the slot edges  130  or  132 , if so desired.) The cutting and marking notches  130  and  132  serve the same purpose as the corresponding notches  30  and/or  32  of the gable framing and layout guide  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 4 , i.e., to provide for the placement of a tool point (e.g., pencil, crayon, utility knife point, etc.) therein, with the tool point being held in place relative to the guide  110  by the selected notch as the guide  110  is moved over the workpiece.  
         [0030]     A first stud-gripping finger  138  extends from the first end  116  of the rule  112 , normal thereto, with a parallel second stud-gripping finger  140  extending from the first end portion  114  of the rule  112  and spaced from the first finger  138 . The two stud-gripping fingers  138  and  140  are spaced apart a predetermined distance to provide for a close fitting stud holding slot  142  about the minor dimension of a conventional framing stud, e.g.,  1½ inches apart for standard cut  2×4 lumber stock. Other dimensions may be used as desired.  
         [0031]     A stud-spacing finger  142  extends from the opposite second end  120  of the rule  112 , with the stud-spacing finger  142  having a distal edge  144  aligned with the second end  120  of the rule  112 . The distal edge  144  of the stud-spacing finger  142  is set at a predetermined stud-spacing distance  146  from the inboard edge of the first stud-gripping finger  138 , e.g., sixteen inches, the standard stud spacing for frame construction in the U.S.A. Other spacing, e.g., twelve, eighteen, twenty-four inches, etc., may be used as desired by adjusting the span between the two stud-gripping fingers  138  and  140  and the stud-spacing finger  142 . It will also be seen that the gap  142  between the two stud-gripping fingers  138  and  140  may be adjusted as desired, e.g.,  3½ inches to fit nominally dimensioned  4×4 lumber stock, or three inches to fit about two 2×4s joined face-to-face.  
         [0032]     The first stud-gripping finger  138  also includes a fence  164  extending substantially the entire length thereof, and defining the first end  116  of the rule  112 . All of the various components of the guide  110 , excepting the fence  164 , are coplanar with one another and define a relatively thin and flat plane. The fence  164  is normal to and extends in both directions beyond the plane of the remainder of the guide  110 , for placement along the edge of a workpiece as desired. This operation is illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings for the gable framing and layout guide  10 , with the function of the fence  164  of the stud spacing guide  110  being substantially similar.  
         [0033]     As in the case of the gable framing and layout guide  10 , the stud spacing guide  110  also includes a pivot detent  166  formed in the edge of the first end  116  of the rule  112  at the adjacent end of the fence  164 . While no protractor, degree, or slope scales are provided in the stud spacing guide  110 , the pivot detent provides for pivoting the guide  110  about a fixed pin (nail, screw, etc.) in order to swing an arc using one of the cutting and marking notches  134  or  136 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  illustrates the use of the stud spacing guide  110 . In  FIG. 6 , a worker is prefabricating a gable G for later installation. The gable G includes conventional stud spacing, with a series of studs S 1 , S 2 , etc. being installed in the gable assembly G. The studs are spaced apart according to the desired standard, e.g., sixteen inches on center. The two stud-gripping fingers  138  and  140  of the stud spacing guide  110  have been placed about the end of a first stud S 1 , previously secured in position, with the opposite second end  120  of the guide and its stud-spacing finger  142  extending to the right of the first stud S 1  in  FIG. 6 . The second stud S 2  need only be positioned in contact with the distal edge  144  of the stud-spacing finger  142  to assure the proper spacing between the two studs S 1  and S 2  to allow the worker to secure the second stud S 2  accurately in position.  
         [0035]     In conclusion, the present multipurpose framing and layout kit provides a great number of different functions and operations required by carpenters and workers in the construction of conventional gabled frame structures. While the two components of the present kit are most optimally used in concert with one another for optimum efficiency, it will be seen that some of their individual functions are well suited for use in carrying out various individual tasks and operations in building construction, and may be used separately from one another. However, the present kit with its gable framing and layout guide and stud spacing guide greatly improves the ability of the carpenter or worker on the jobsite to carry out a number of tasks and operations conventionally handled in the construction of gabled frame structures. The reduction in the number of complex tools and devices otherwise required by the carpenter or worker will be greatly appreciated by those involved in such work.  
         [0036]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.