Patent ID: 8046926

Claim:
A saw blade clamping arrangement for a power tool including a housing, a drive shaft mounted for reciprocating motion relative to the housing and having a longitudinal drive axis, and a saw blade releasably interconnected with the drive shaft for reciprocating motion, the saw blade clamping arrangement comprising: a blade support mechanism including a spindle extending from the drive shaft and an actuator support defined by a peripheral surface of the spindle, the spindle including first and second slots configured to selectively receive the saw blade in first and second orientations, the first orientation being substantially ninety degrees relative to the second orientation; a tubular actuator mounted on the actuator support and rotatable about the longitudinal drive axis of the drive shaft between an engaged position and a disengaged position, the actuator including a locking cam surface; and a locking member operatively associated with the actuator, and movable between a locked position that selectively locks the blade in one of the first and second orientations and an unlocked position that releases the blade, the locking member including a follower surface driven by the locking cam surface.