Patent Publication Number: US-2006005677-A1

Title: Fence assembly for miter saws

Description:
REFERENCE TO CROSS-RELATED APPLICATION  
      The present application derives priority under 35 USC § 119(e) from U.S. Patent Application No. 60/586,123, filed Jul. 7, 2004. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates generally to a fence assembly for miter saws and more specifically to a fence assembly for a combination table/miter saw.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      It is well known in the miter saw field to provide a sliding fence assembly that has a sliding portion that is moved when the saw assembly is beveled, so that the sliding portion does not contact the saw assembly. Such sliding fence assembly cannot be used in a combination table/miter saw when it is in the table saw mode, as the user is not able to access the sliding portion and/or move the sliding portion to a non-contacting position. It is an object of the invention to provide an enhanced fence assembly for combination table/miter saws, and miter saws.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with the present invention, an improved support assembly is employed. The power tool has a base assembly, a table supported by the base assembly, a saw assembly attached to the table, a fixed fence attached to the table, a sliding carriage slidably connected to the fixed fence, and a fence portion pivotally attached to the sliding carriage, the fence portion having a surface, and being movable between a first position where the surface is substantially perpendicular to the table, and a second position where the fence portion is moved downwardly towards the table.  
      Additional features and benefits of the present invention are described, and will be apparent from, the accompanying drawings and the detailed description below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention according to the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a combination table/miter saw according to the invention, whereas  FIGS. 1A-1B  are side views of the combination table/miter saw in the miter saw and table saw modes, respectively; and  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the saw assembly with a fence assembly according to the invention, where  FIGS. 2A-2B  are front and rear perspective views of such fence assembly in an upper position, respectively, and  FIG. 2C  is a top plan view of such fence assembly in a lower position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals designate like parts. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a combination table/miter saw  100  may include a base assembly  10 , a table  11  supported by base assembly  10 , and a saw assembly  20  supported by the table  11 . Saw assembly  20  may include a trunnion  21  disposed on the table  11 , a pivotable arm  22  pivotably attached to trunnion  21 , a motor  24  supported by the arm  22  and driving a blade  23 . Arm  22  also supports upper blade guard  27 , which covers an upper part of blade  23 . Lower blade guard  25  is pivotally attached to upper blade guard  27 . An auxiliary blade guard  26  may be pivotably connected to lower blade guard  25 .  
      Preferably, table  11  is pivotally attached to base assembly  10  via joint  15  so that, when the table  11  is in the orientation of  FIG. 1A , the saw assembly  20  can act as a miter saw, i.e., saw assembly  20  can be pivoted downwardly towards table  11  to cut a workpiece placed on table  11 .  
      On the other hand, when table  11  is rotated via joint  15  to the orientation of  FIG. 1B , the saw  100  acts as a table saw, i.e., saw assembly  20  will be supported by and disposed underneath the table  11 . In such orientation, blade  23  extends through the table  11 , so that a user can dispose a workpiece on table  11  and push it towards blade  23  for cutting.  
      Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the invention described below can be applicable to non-combined miter saws.  
      Preferably, base assembly  10  has at least one wheel  13  thereon.  
      Base assembly  10  may also support four leg assemblies  30 . Preferably leg assemblies  30  are pivotally attached to base assembly  10 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , saw  100  may have a fence assembly  40  disposed on the same side of table  11  which supports saw assembly  20 . Fence assembly  40  may include a fixed portion  41  that is fixedly mounted unto table  11 .  
      Persons skilled in the art will recognize that table  11  may have a rotatable table  12  disposed thereon and that saw assembly  20  is preferably mounted to rotatable table  12 . Such arrangement will allow changing the miter angle of saw assembly  20  relative to fence assembly  40 . It is preferable not to fixedly mount fixed portion  41  unto rotatable table  12 . However, fixed portion  41  may have a downward protrusion  41 P which slides along an arcuate slot  12 S provided on rotatable table  12 . In this manner, rotatable table  12  may support fence assembly  40  without restricting the rotational movement of rotatable table  12 .  
      Fixed portion may have a substantially U-shaped cross-section defining a channel therein. A slide carriage  42  may be disposed on in said channel. A fence portion  43  may be rotatably attached to the slide carriage  42 .  
      Fence portion  43  has a surface  43 S which supports a workpiece thereon. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that fixed portion  41  may have a surface  41 S which supports a workpiece thereon. Surfaces  41 S,  43 S are preferably substantially coplanar.  
      A screw  48  may extend through fixed portion  41  and contact slide carriage  42 . Screw  48  may be rotated via knob  48 K.  
      With such arrangement, when saw assembly  20  is beveled in miter saw mode, slide carriage  42  and fence portion  43  may be moved sideways along direction A out of the way by sliding them relative to fixed portion  41 . When the desired position of slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43  is reached, the user can lock slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43  by rotating knob  48 K. Screw  48  will then push slide carriage  42  into locking contact with fixed portion  41 . Persons skilled in the art will recognize that slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43 , when moved sideways, can be used to prevent rotation of table  11 , as slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43  will contact base assembly  10 .  
      Preferably fixed portion  41  supports a hold-down plate  47  which overlaps slide carriage  42 . Plate  47  preferably prevents the removal of slide carriage  47  and/or fence portion  43  by lifting. Slide carriage  42  may have a protrusion  42 P which contacts plate  47  to limit the sliding range of slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43 .  
      Plate  47  may be disposed so that it contacts slide carriage  42 , to minimize the rotation of slide carriage  42  (and fence portion  43 ) during operation, thus maintaining the accuracy of fence assembly  40 .  
      As mentioned above, fence portion  43  may be rotatably connected to slide carriage  42 . Slide carriage  42  may support a post  44 . Fence portion  43  may have a catch  45  rotatably connected to fence portion  43 . Catch  45  may be moved between a first position engaging a protrusion  44 P of post  44  and a second position not engaging protrusion  44 P. A spring (not shown) may bias catch  45  towards the first position. A user can rotate catch  45  to the second position by moving a handle  45 H connected to catch  45 .  
      Persons skilled in the art will recognize that, when catch  45  engages protrusion  44 P, fence portion  43  and sliding carriage  42  move jointly, and surface  43 S is substantially perpendicular to table  11 . When catch  45  is not engaged to protrusion  44 P, fence portion  43  can be rotated downwardly and disposed on table  11 . Preferably, a spring  46  biases fence portion  43  to such downward position so that, when the user moves catch  45  to the second position, fence portion  43  automatically moves to the downward position.  
      Surface  43 S may be substantially parallel to table  11  or may contact table  11  in the downward position. Preferably fence portion  43  is flush against table  11  when in the downward position, so that a user cannot use saw  100  in miter saw mode when fence portion  43  is in the downward position.  
      Such arrangement is advantageous as, when the fence portion  43  is in the downward position, the saw assembly  20  cannot contact fence portion  43  at any bevel angle. This obviates the need to move fence portion  43  sideways when beveling the saw assembly  20 , which is difficult to do when using saw  100  in table saw mode.  
      Table  11  may have a protrusion  11 P, which prevents fence portion  43  from lying flush against table  11  if slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43  had been moved sideways prior to releasing catch  45 . Such protrusion  11 P also prevents slide carriage  42  and/or fence portion  43  from moving sideways after catch  45  has been released and fence portion  43  lies flush against table  11 . This prevents fence portion  43  from contacting base  10  and/or interfering with the pivoting operation of table  11  where saw  100  is changed from miter saw mode to table saw mode. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that such protrusion  11 P may also be provided on base assembly  10 .  
      Saw  100  may also have a fixed fence  49  on the other side of saw assembly  20 . Persons skilled in the art will recognize that if the saw assembly  20  is double-beveling, i.e., bevels both rightwardly and leftwardly, it would be advantageous to replace fixed fence  49  with a sliding fence assembly as discussed above.  
      Persons skilled in the art may recognize other additions or alternatives to the means disclosed herein. However, all these additions and/or alterations are considered to be equivalents of the present invention.