Patent Publication Number: US-4928399-A

Title: Marking template

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The current interest in home workshop activities has generated a wide variety of plans for various articles that can be constructed from standard sizes of lumber. The principal material is the usual 2×4 and 2×6 used in the framing of houses. Actually, the standard dimension of these pieces in present use are 11/2&#34;×31/2&#34; and 11/2&#34;×51/2&#34; respectively. One form of plan developed by applicant is a template made as a long piece of uncorrugated cardboard with slots and punched out holes marked to indicate the cutting and drilling points for particular pieces in a project being built. The template has a fold line that embraces one corner of a piece of material. In this position, lines can be drawn through the slots, and marks made at the holes each identified as corresponding to a particular piece. The template is then removed, the cuts made, and holes drilled at the indicated positions. 
     There are several advantages to this form of pattern, not the least of which is a highly efficient use of the lumber. The obvious simplicity is a very favorable factor, in view of the principal use in the home workshop, where skill may be somewhat less than that of a professional carpenter. To make efficient use of long pieces of lumber, obviously the template has to be of corresponding length. There are not many facilities where the die-cutting of the slots and holes can be made in patterns exceeding four (4) feet in length. Standard 2×4 studs are twice that long, and the resulting problem is obvious. Providing special equipment capable of die-cutting patterns eight (8) feet or more in length in one operation is expensive. Another problem encountered in presently available patterns is the absence of any provision for indicating the cutting of compound angles, in which the plane of a cut is disposed at an angle other than ninety (90) degrees to at least one face of the material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This marking template provides for proper marking of compound angles (where the cut is at an angle other than perpendicular to at least one face of the piece) by extending the marking slot to preferably intersect the fold line, and continue the trace of the cutting plane on both sides of the fold line. Extended templates can be made in interlocking sections, with the form of the interlock assuring alignment and dimensional continuity. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the marking template elevated from a piece of material to be marked for cutting. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the two sections of a template with interengageable tabs and slots adapted to assure both linear and transverse continuity of the sections. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative system for assuring the alignment of successive sections of template. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, the template generally indicated at 10 is a panel of preferably die-cut 20 gage uncorrugated cardboard, with a fold line indicated at 11. In use, the pattern is lowered onto the 2×4 piece 12, with the fold line laid along the corner 13. In this position, a pencil can be inserted in the slots 14 and 15, and appropriate marks made on the piece 12 for reference later in cutting the piece with a saw. The portion of the slot 14 to the left and above the fold line, as viewed in FIG. 1 is perpendicular to the fold line, and the portion below it is disposed at an angle to the fold line. These slots constitute the traces of a cutting plane perpendicular to the face 16 of the panel, and disposed at an angle other than perpendicular to the face 17. The portion of the slot 15 to the left and above the fold, as viewed in FIG. 1, and also the extension of the slot below the fold line are both at angles other than perpendicular to the fold line. These two slots thus represent the traces of a cutting plane that is at an angle other than perpendicular to both the faces 16 and 17. It is preferable that the slots actually intersect the fold line, and thus be continuous over both the faces 16 and 17. It is possible to have a discontinuity of the slots at the fold line, as long as the slots in both faces are co-planar in the folded template. The punched hole 18 represents a position at which a nail can be inserted to mark the piece 12 for the later drilling of a hole. 
     In order to adapt the pattern for use on pieces of material greater than four (4) feet in length, and still use generally available die-cutting equipment, the system shown in FIG. 2 is provided. The template is divided into two sections, indicated respectively at 19 and 20. The section 19 has the parallel slots 21 and 22 oriented along the length of the sections, and the transverse slot 23 perpendicular to the slots 21 and 22. The section 20 of the template has the tabs 24 and 25 defined by the fold lines 26 and 27, and the tab 28 defined by the fold line 29. The tabs 24 and 25 are disposed to engage the slots 21 and 22 respectively, when the tabs are bent to a position ninety (90) degrees from the plane of the panel 30. The fold lines 31 and 32 correspond to the fold line 11 of FIG. 1. The cutting slot 33 in the panel 19 is similar in configuration to the slot 14 of FIG. 1. When the tabs 24, 25, and 28 are properly engaged with the slots 21, 22, and 23, they are preferably bent back against the bottom of the template section 19, and taped in place. The arrangement of the slots 21 and 22 perpendicular to the slot 23 results in both longitudinal and transverse alignment of the template sections with respect to each other, so that the fold lines 31 and 32 are continuous. The extension neck 34 of the section 20 makes it unnecessary for the abutting edges 35 and 36 of the template sections to overlap, thus preserving planar continuity. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, an alternative arrangement is shown for assuring the continuity of successive template sections. The sections 37 and 38 are to be used in marking the 2×4 piece of lumbar 39. The fold lines 40 and 41 will embrace the corner 42. The section 38 has a portion 43 overlapping the section 37, and these overlapping portions have aligned holes 44-45 and 46-47 for receiving the nails 48 and 49. These nails may be partially driven into the piece 39 through the holes in both templates at the same time. If the nails have small heads (as on finishing nails), they can be partially driven through the holes 45 and 47 into the piece 39, and the template section 38 pushed down over them to engage the holes 44 and 46.