Abstract:
A Belt Sander Eraser Attachment is disclosed. The attachment is configured to be attached to a conventional belt sander such that it provides the operator with the ability to remove built up sawdust and the like from the sanding belt. The device removably replaces the conventional front handle on a sander and the new handle has functionality as both a handle and an actuator for the belt sander eraser. The eraser actuation is convenient and ergonomically comfortable for the user while the sander is in use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to power tool accessories and, more specifically, to a Belt Sander Eraser Attachment.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Belt sanders, such as that depicted in  FIG. 1 , are a valued tool to the wood worker. The conventional belt sander  10  has a motor drive and roller mechanism housed within a housing  12 . The sander  10  has a piece of reinforced sandpaper formed into a continuous loop (i.e. the sanding belt  14 ). The motor drive and roller drive the sanding belt  14  so that if the sander  10  is placed onto a workpiece on the bottom surface  17  of the belt, the workpiece will be sanded very quickly and evenly.  
         [0005]     In order to control and direct the sander  10  while sanding, a front handle  16  and rear handle  15  are provided for the user to grasp onto. The sanding belts  14  come in a variety of grits and compositions to work on a wide variety of surfaces. The belt  14  is replaced by loosening the tension between the drive roller and the front roller  19 , so that the belt  14  can be slid off the side.  
         [0006]     The problem with the conventional belt sander  10  is that the belts  14  can tend to be quite costly. Frequent replacement of the belts as the sanding surface becomes clogged can be time-consuming as well as expensive. Frequently, there condition of a used sanding belt  14  is degraded, not because of a loss of the abrasive material from its surface, but rather because the abrasive surface has become clogged with cast-off material removed from the workpiece in the course of the sanding operation.  
         [0007]     Over the years, craftspersons have discovered that much of the belt  14  clogging could be removed by running the belt  14  over a block of eraser-like material. While this approach works very well, it can be dangerous to work on the exposed (rapidly-moving belt) with the bare fingers, particularly when the eraser block shrinks in size due to normal usage wear. Also, it forces the user to cease sanding operations in order to “erase” the belt  14  before returning to work.  
         [0008]     To solve these problems, what is needed is a belt sander eraser attachment that can be associated with a conventional sander  10 , such that the belt  14  can be erased of clogging safely and without breaking from sanding operations.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Belt Sander Eraser Attachment. The attachment should be configured to be attached to a conventional belt sander in order to provide the operator with the ability to remove built up sawdust and the like from the sanding belt. The device should replace the conventional front handle on a sander such that the new handle has functionality as both a handle and an actuator for the belt sander eraser. The eraser actuation should be convenient and ergonomically comfortable for the user while the sander is in use.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional belt sander;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the sander of  FIG. 1 , having a preferred embodiment of the belt eraser attachment of the present invention attached thereto;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the attachment of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a preferred actuating assembly of the attachment of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is an exploded partial perspective view of the housing and mounting pad of the attachment of  FIGS. 2-4 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Belt Sander Eraser Attachment.  
         [0017]     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the sander  10  of  FIG. 1 , having a preferred embodiment of the belt eraser attachment  20  of the present invention attached thereto. The attachment  20  is configured to attach to the housing  12  of the sander  10  in place of the front handle (see  FIG. 1 ), on the forward deck of the sander  10  housing  12 . The attachment  20  has its own integrated handle  24  (to replace the conventional handle), and it further has an actuatable belt eraser block  22  positioned in close proximity to the front roller  19 . When the user actuates the device, the eraser block  22  will be pressed against the sanding belt  14 , as the belt  14  passes around the front roller  19  (i.e. with the belt  14  is moving). When the belt  14  is sufficiently unclogged, the device is un-actuated, and the eraser block  22  is pulled back from the belt  14 .  
         [0018]     As should be apparent, there is no need for the user to put his or her fingers in harm&#39;s way. Furthermore, the belt  14  can be unclogged while the sander is in use, or at least without the user needing to set it down or reposition it to hold the old-fashioned eraser against the belt. If we now turn to  FIG. 3 , we can examine the functionality of the device in greater detail.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the attachment  20  of  FIG. 2 . The attachment  20  has a handle  24  extending upwardly from the main housing  26 . A handle cap  28  is removably attached to the top of the handle stem  25 . Levers  30 A and  30 B extend outwardly from opposing sides of the handle  24 . These levers  30 A and  30 B are actuated to cause the eraser block  22  to engage and disengage from the sanding belt.  
         [0020]     The housing  26  is attached to the sander housing by a mounting pad  32 . The mounting pad  32  holds the housing  26  in fixed relation to the sander housing. The eraser block  22 , however, moves relative to the housing  26  (and sander housing) as will be described below in connection with  FIG. 4 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a preferred actuating assembly  34  of the attachment of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The assembly  34  has a pair of frame rails,  35 A and  35 B arranged in generally parallel spaced relation. An upper shaft  42  and a lower shaft  44  retain the first and second frame rails  35 A and  35 B to one another in a rigid fashion.  
         [0022]     A cam arm  40  is retained to the assembly  34  by the upper shaft  42 . The upper shaft  42  passes through a pair of coaxially arranged, elongate shaft slots (e.g.  44 A), such that the cam arm  40  can freely rotation around the engagement between the slots (e.g.  44 A) and the upper shaft  42 . At its opposite end, an axle bore  37  is formed through the cam arm  40  to permit lever axle  36  to pass therethrough. The lever axle  36  is fixedly retained within the axle bore  37 , such that rotation of the lever axle  36  (i.e. axial rotation) will cause the cam arm  40  to also rotate around the lever axle&#39;s axis. The levers  30 A and  30 B previously discussed in connection with  FIG. 3  extend outwardly from opposing ends of the lever axle  36 .  
         [0023]     At the lower ends of each frame rail  35 A and  35 B, a mounting plate  48  is provided for attaching the belt eraser  22 . The eraser  22  is partially encased in a retainer  39 , which is in turn attached to the mounting plates  48 . The retainer  39  is to be a U-shaped part crimped onto the forward end of the eraser  22 .  
         [0024]     Near the upper ends of each of the frame rails  35 A and  35 B, a pair of matched springs  38 A and  38 B extend backwardly (i.e. towards the sander then the device is installed). These springs  38 A and  38 B are designed to press against the inner rear surface of the housing of the attachment (see  FIG. 3 ) such the they bias the frame rails  35 A and  35 B away from the housing in a forward direction (i.e. away from the sander).  
         [0025]     There are a pair of guide pins  46  extending outwardly from the outer surfaces of each of the frame rails  35 A and  35 B. These may be simply extensions of the opposing ends of the upper and lower shaft  42  and  44 , or they may be elements that are separate from the shafts  42  and  44 . The guide pins  46  serve to cooperate with the housing (see  FIG. 3 ) such that when the levers  30 A and  30 B are rotated in direction “R”, the cam arm  40  will drive the frame rails  35 A and  35 B and therefore the eraser  22  to move in a translational motion in direction “T.” The specific way that these guide pins accomplish this is discussed below in connection with  FIG. 5 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is an exploded partial perspective view of the housing and mounting pad of the attachment of  FIGS. 2-4 . The mounting pad  32  has slots or holes formed through it so that it can be attached to the front deck of the sander housing using the same mounting screws or bolts that were used to attach the original equipment handle thereto. The mounting pad  32  is further provided with a pair of opposing fins  55  running the (transverse) width of the mounting pad  32  such. The mounting fins  55  are designed to cooperate with a mounting channel  52  formed in the housing  26  of the attachment.  
         [0027]     The T-shaped mounting channel  52  allows the housing  26  to be slid onto the mounting pad  32  once the mounting pad  32  has been attached to the sander housing.  
         [0028]     As shown in hidden lines, the housing  26  is generally hollow in order to accommodate the actuating assembly of  FIG. 4  therein. The housing  26  as first and second sidewalls  50 A and  50 B defining the two generally parallel sides of the housing  26 . Each sidewall  50 A and  50 B has a pair of pin slots  54  cut into their inner surfaces. The pin slots  54  are located and otherwise configured to cooperate with the pin guides (see  FIG. 4 ) to allow the actuating assembly (see  FIG. 4 ) to slide forward and back in relation to the fixed housing  26 .  
         [0029]     The handle cap  28  can be removed from the handle stem  25  for assembly/disassembly of the device. The handle stem  25  is also hollow to accommodate the upper portion of the actuating assembly (see  FIG. 4 ) therein. A pair of opposing handle bores (e.g.  56 ) are formed in the handle cap  28  through which the lever axle (see  FIG. 4 ) can pass and be allowed to rotate freely.  
         [0030]     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.