Patent Publication Number: US-4583724-A

Title: Multiple-purpose vice for wood working

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional vice suitable for wood working is formed as single function, fixed type and clumsy structure so that it is lacking of handling convenience and operative brightness. Whenever used for clamping irregular or larger work piece, such a conventional vice can not be operated efficiently or satisfactorily. For example, in order to process several work pieces including flat surface and irregular shape, there may be provided with at least two types or models of vices to process the flat-surface work piece and irregular work piece respectively. It is therefore uneconomic and inconvenient in wood working processing by utilizing such a conventional vice. 
     The present inventor has found the defects of conventional vice and invented the present multiple-purpose vice for wood working. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a vice suitable for wood working, which includes a guide means, a pair of bench clamps, a pair of center-rest clamping jaws, and a pair of universal clamping jaws wherein such pair of center-rest clamping jaws can be used to clamp a working piece having flat surface or to clamp a piece whose central line is to be aligned for processing necessity, and wherein such pair of center-rest clamping jaws can be substituted with a pair of universal clamping jaws for clamping the work piece irregularly shaped. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a vice comprising an outside-span clamping base which can be fixed on a bench beyond the span limit between the two bench clamps and can be mounted thereon with a clamping jaw so as to clamp a larger work piece beyond the jaw span with another clamping jaw originally mounted on the guide means. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an illustration showing all parts constructing the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing of the guide means of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial sectional drawing of the guide means taken from X--X direction of FIG. 1 of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the center-rest clamping jaws mounted on the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is an illustration showing the universal clamping jaws mounted on the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 shows the clamping cylindrical columns mounted on the guide means of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 shows the application of the outside-span clamping base in the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in the figures, the present invention comprises a guide means 1, a pair of bench clamps 2, a pair of center-rest clamping jaws 3, a pair of universal clamping jaws 4 and an outside-span clamping base 5. 
     The guide means 1 comprises a lead screw 11, two slide bars 12 parallel to lead screw 11, a fixing jaw base 13, a sliding jaw base 14, a fast-moving span adjuster 15 and a driving handle 16. Lead screw 11 is formed with male-threaded portion 111 from its one end and formed with a shaft portion 112 on its opposite end. Fixing jaw base 13 is formed with three holes, of which two side holes 132 are slidingly inserted with two slide bars 12 and the central hole 133 is jacketed with a jacket tube 113 which is rotatably inserted with the shaft 112. Two engaging extensions 135 are parallelly formed on the top surface 134 of fixing jaw base 13. 
     Sliding jaw base 14 is formed with three holes, of which the two side holes 142 are slidingly inserted with two slide bars 12 and the central hole 143 is movably inserted with the lead screw 11. The sliding jaw base 14 is formed with a rectangular recess 144 in its bottom portion, the recess 144 poking a depth to a level involving the center line of the central hole 143. The top surface 145 of jaw base 14 is also formed with two engaging extensions 146 corresponding to the two extensions 135 formed on base 13. 
     The fast-moving span adjuster 15 is movably engaged with the rectangular hole 144 in the jaw base 14 and is formed with a transverse female-threaded groove 151 of semi-circle shape to engage with the male-threaded portion 111 of lead screw 11. The fast-moving span adjuster 15 is upperly formed with four guiding rods 152 slidingly moved within four guide holes 147 formed on sliding jaw base 14. The guiding rods 152 are commonly connected with a button cap 153 on their uppermost ends. A restoring spring 154 is provided under the button cup 153 bearing against the upper surface 145 of base 14 so as to normally raise the span adjuster 15 to allow its female-threaded groove 151 engaged wth the male-threaded portion 111 of lead screw 11 which is driven by a handle 16 terminated on the protruding end of lead screw 11 so as to adjust the clamping span between the sliding jaw base 14 and the fixing jaw base 13. 
     Each of the two bench clamps 2 comprises two chucks having three arcuated grooves 22 formed in the clamping mouth 21 between the two chucks 20, 20a to resiliently clamp the two guide bars 12 and rotatably dispose the lead screw 11 as acted by a torsional spring 23. The clamp 2 is also formed with a wing bolt 24 having a lower disc 25 and a clamping plate 26 to be tightly clamped on a bench T. 
     Each of the center-rest clamping jaws 3 is formed with two engaging grooves 32 engageable with the two extensions 135 or 146 respectively formed on base 13 or base 14, and formed with a side extension edge 33 to be stably fitted on either base 13 or 14. A tail spindle 35 is formed on the upper frame portion 34a of jaw 3 to clamp a work piece whose center line can be aligned with the center line of the tail spindle 35. Such an upper frame portion 34a includes a flat vertical surface 34 for clamping a work piece having flat surface or regular shape as tightened by the tail spindle 35. A soft jacket 36 can be jacketed on the frame portion 34a to prevent scratching of the surface of a work piece. 
     Each of the two universal clamping jaws 4 comprises a holder 40 having two engaging grooves 42 on its bottom 41 engageable with the two extensions 135 or 146 of base 13 or base 14 and having a side extension edge 43 to be stably fitted on either base 13 or 14, two cylindrical columns 45 formed on the upper surface 44 and each formed a ring groove 46 thereon, and two semi-circle clamping blocks 47 each rotatably mounted on each column 45 by a screw 48 rotatably engaged with groove 46. Each block 47 may be jacketed by a soft jacket 49 thereon for scratching prevention. Such a semi-circle clamping block 47 is beneficial to clamp regular or flat work piece by its flat surface 47a and to clamp irregular work piece by its arcuated surface 47b by adjusting the rotating degree of the block 47 around the axis of column 45. 
     Outside-span clamping base 5 comprises two engaging extensions 52 formed on its upper surface 51 engageable with either center-rest clamping jaw 3 or universal clamping jaw 4, two wing bolts 53 rotatably formed on the base 5 and each having a clamping disc 54, and a clamping plate 55 extending from the upper surface and adapted to clamp the base 5 on a bench T by fastening the two wing bolts 53. When processing a larger work piece unable to be clamped within the two bench clamps 2, the outside-span clamping base 5 is clamped on the bench beyond the bench clamp 2 and jaw 3 is mounted on the base 5. A bench clamp 2 is removed to be clamped inside the sliding base 14 as shown in FIG. 7 and another jaw 3 is mounted on the base 14 to allow its flat surface 34 facing the surface 34 of the jaw 3 mounted on the outside-span clamping base 5. 
     When using the present invention to clamp the flat-surface work piece as shown in FIG. 3, the center-rest clamping jaws 3 are mounted on the two bases 13, 14. The button cap 153 of the span adjuster 15 is depressed to lower the adjuster and release the engagement of female-threaded groove 151 from the male-threaded portion 111 of lead screw 11 to fastly move the base 14 to the clamping position touching the work piece. The handle 16 is then rotated to drive the lead screw 11 engaged with the span adjuster 15 and in turn drive the base 14 and jaw 3 to tightly clamp the work piece. 
     For clamping irregular work piece, the universal clamping jaws 4 can be used to replace the center-rested clamping jaws 3 as shown in FIG. 5, in which the universal clamping blocks 47 are rotated around the columns 45 adapted to the specific irregular shape of the clamped work piece. The universal blocks 47 can be removed to reveal the clamping cylindrical columns 45 for clamping shorter work piece as shown in FIG. 6. 
     The present invention has the following advantages superior to prior vices: 
     1. The two bases 13, 14 can be optionally mounted with either center-rest clamping jaws 3, or universal jaws 4 for diversified clamping purposes. The base 5 may serve to clamp special large piece to furnish the multiple purposes of this invention. 
     2. All elements can be easily dismantled, removed, interchanged or assembled and is thus helpful for convenient operation, storage and handling.