Patent Abstract:
A guide for a concrete cutting chain saw. The guide has multiple paired slots which receive a post of a bracket mounted to the chain saw. The slots provide multiple pivotal mounts for the chain saw. The chain saw is mounted on the guide with the post being received in a pair of slots. The multiple slots provide sequential pivotal mounts for moving the saw to complete the cut. The post is mountable on either end of the bracket so the guide may be mounted on either side of the cut line.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a guide that can be secured to a wall for guiding a concrete cutting saw in cutting a desired straight cut in the wall. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A concrete cutting chain saw is heavy and unwieldy and making straight cuts, e.g., to create a window or door opening in a concrete wall, is a difficult task. Such a task often requires a guide system that supports and guides the saw as the cut is being made. Heretofore such guide systems have been complex in both structure and mounting and it is desirable to find a more simple apparatus that can be easily mounted, e.g., to a wall, and still function as a guide that assists an operator in making a straight wall cut. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention in a preferred embodiment includes an elongated track member that is secured to a wall to be cut. It is laid alongside the desired cut line. The track member includes protruding hinge cradles spaced sequentially along the track. The saw is provided with a hinge post that is mated to the hinge cradles. With the track member secured to the wall and starting, e.g., at a point just below the top of the cut line, the hinge post of the saw is nested in a cradle of the track member and the saw blade is pivoted inwardly and downwardly along the cut line. When the cutting procedure at that cradle position is completed, the saw is lifted off the cradle and dropped into a lower subsequent cradle and the procedure repeated. The track member and hinge post are cooperatively designed so that the cut can be made at either side of the track. 
     The invention will be more fully appreciated upon reference to the following detailed description having reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view of a chain saw guide; 
     FIG. 2 is a view of the chain saw guide of FIG. 1 showing a mounting bracket for the chain saw and a mounting tube; 
     FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a chain saw mounted to the guide and in the process of making a cut; 
     FIG. 4 is another view of the chain saw mounted to the guide and in the process of making a cut; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an accessory bracket for the chain saw guide of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a view as viewed on view lines  6 — 6  of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the accessory bracket; and, 
     FIG. 8 is a view showing the accessory bracket mounted to the saw guide of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a track member or guide  10  for accurately guiding and maintaining a chain saw  12  in position during a sawing operation. The guide  10  is particularly suited for sawing aggregate material. The guide  10  has a base  16  that is an elongate member having slots  18 . Side members  20  are fixedly attached to the base  16  by fasteners  22 . Each side  20  has formed slots (hinge cradles)  24  that serve as pivotal mounts as will later be explained. As shown, the slots  24  are spaced at intervals along each of the sides  20 . 
     The guides  10  are provided in varying lengths to suit and may be abutted in an end to end relation for longer lengths as required. While the illustrations show the guide  10  in a vertical position, they are equally suited for horizontal or angular placement. 
     A bracket  30  as seen in FIG. 2 is mounted to the chain saw  12  by conventional fasteners. (However, it will be appreciated that it could be integrated into the design of the saw.) A mounting tube  32  is provided on one end of the bracket  30  and is arranged to receive a post  34 . The post  34  has spools  36  mounted in a spaced arrangement. 
     The post  34  is arranged to be inserted or mounted in the tube  32  in two different arrangements. As shown in FIG. 2, the end  38  of the post  34  is inserted into the end  40  of the tube  32  and is retained in position by a fastener  42 . Conversely the post  38  may be inserted into the end  44  of the tube  32  to position the spools  36  on the opposite side of the bracket  30 . This provides the ability of providing a saw cut on either side of the guide  10 . When the post is inserted into end  40 , the guide bar  50  when the chain saw  12  is installed on the guide  10  will be positioned on one side of the guide  10  and when the post  34  is inserted into end  44 , the guide bar  50  will be positioned on the opposite side of the guide  10 . The post  34  serves as a complimentary pivotal mount that is matable with the slots  24  of the guide  10 . 
     Refer now to FIG. 3 of the drawings. FIG. 3 illustrates a typical operation for making a saw cut in aggregate material by the chain saw  12 . The chain saw  12  is of a type that has a guide bar  50  on which a saw chain  52  is mounted and is driven by a power head  54  of the chain saw  12 . In this embodiment, the bracket  30  and the post  34  are mounted to the chain saw  12  in the manner illustrated in FIG.  1 . This positions the guide bar  50  and the saw chain  52  to right of the bracket as shown in the figures. The guide  10  is secured in a desired position on the material to be cut by fasteners  60 . The fasteners  60  are inserted through the slot  18  of the guide  10  and are secured to the material in a conventional manner. The slots  18 , which are elongated permit adjusting the guide  10  to accurately position the guide  10  relative to the desired cut line. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the chain saw  12  being inserted into one pair of slots  24 . The slots  24  are configured to receive the posts  34  and are sized to accommodate the diameter of the post  34 . The slots  24  have a formed hook  26  that defines a recess  28 . FIG. 1 illustrates the post  34  in the process of being inserted into the slots  24  and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the post  34  being fully seated in the recess  28 . The sides  20  of the guide  10  are received in the spools  36 . The spools  36  prevent lateral movement of the post  34  mounted to the chain saw  12 . The hook portion  26  of the slot  24  will retain the post  34  and thus the chain saw  12  in position on the guide  10 . As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the post  34  provides an axis of pivot for the guide bar  50  and the guide bar  50  may be pivoted about the post  34  in the direction indicated by arrow  66 . 
     Refer now to FIG. 3 of the drawings. The chain saw  12  is initially pivoted upward to facilitate making the initial cut in the aggregate material. The chain saw  12  is positioned on the guide  10  with the sides  20  being received in the center of the spools  36  and the post  34  fully seated in the recess  28 . The chain saw  12  is pivoted on the post  34  which moves the guide bar  50  in the direction indicated by arrow  66 . The post  34  being fully seated in the recess  28  maintains the position of the chain saw  12  relative to the bracket  10  and thus to the desired path of cut in the material. The chain saw  12  is continued to be pivoted on the post  34  and the cut will progress such as shown in FIG.  4 . When the guide bar  50  has been pivoted downward (in the direction indicated by arrow  66 ) a desired degree, the saw  12  is removed from the pair of slots  24  in which it was mounted and is moved to a next pair of slots  24 . The sawing operation continues until the full length of cut has been completed. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an accessory bracket  100  that is mountable to the saw guide  10 . The bracket  100  is mountable to the guide  10  and provides a support for the chain saw  12 . The bracket  100  is of the I-beam type having upstanding legs  102 ,  104 . The legs  102 ,  104  are in the same spacial distance as the sides  20  of the guide  10 . An L-shaped bracket  106  is fixedly mounted to the bracket  100 . The bracket  106  has a slot  108  which is provided to facilitate mounting the bracket  100  to the guide  10 . A mounting pin  112  has a shoulder  116  sized to fit in the recess  28  of the guide  10 . The shank  118  of the pin  112  is sized to fit in the slot  108  of the bracket  106 . 
     The pin  112  sized to fit in the recess  28  of the sides  20  of the guide  10  and the slot  108  secures the bracket  100  to the guide  10 . The bracket  100  is mounted between the sides  20  of the guide  10  with the L-shaped bracket  106  fitting against the base  16  of the guide  10 . The bracket  100  is adjusted upwardly or downwardly as required to a desired position and the pin  112  is inserted into a recess  28  and through the slot  108  and into the opposite recess  28  of the opposite side  20 . A washer  110  having a shoulder portion  120  sized to fit the recess  28  (FIG. 6) is fitted on the end of the pin  110  and is secured by a nut  114 . The pin  110  fitting in the slot  108  of the bracket  100  permits the bracket  100  to be adjusted upwardly and downwardly to a final adjustment. When the bracket  100  is in its final adjusted position, the nut  114  is tightened which forces the shoulder  116  of the pin  112  and the shoulder  120  of the washer  110  against the L-shaped bracket  106  to fixedly secure the bracket  100  to the guide  10 . 
     The bracket  100  is particularly suited for making a plunge cut into the material to be sawn and is most often used to make a square cut or a straight cut into the material. Referring to FIG. 8, the chain saw  12  is fitted to the bracket  100  with the spools  36  riding on the legs  102 ,  104  of the I-beam bracket  100 . The chain saw  12  thus may be moved toward and away from the guide  10  on the bracket  100 . 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. The invention is therefore not to be limited to the embodiments described and illustrated but is to be determined from the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1