Patent ID: 7585207

Claim:
A throwing wheel and blade assembly comprising: an annular throwing wheel adapted to be rotated about a central axis and having a central opening and a series of radial channels extending from said opening, each channel having dovetailed sides; an upwardly sloping slot at the bottom of each channel having a bottom surface varying in depth in an axial direction; a series of throwing blades each received in a respective channel, each blade formed with a dovetail feature extending along a lower base portion and configured to be slidably received in a respective dovetail channel with a clearance therebetween; each blade having a cam ramp projecting axially from said base portion and having a top surface sloping between an inner radial end and an outer radial end of said dovetail feature to be of a higher height at said inner radial end than said outer radial end in an axial direction to be configured complementarily to said bottom surface of said slot in each wheel channel so as to be readily received therein; said blades each radially advanced into a respective wheel channel so that engagement of said ramp feature top surface and sloping slot bottom surface moves said blade axially relative said throwing wheel and thereby brings said dovetail sides of said channel and blade dovetailed feature into tight engagement by inducing movement of said blade in an axial direction as said blades are moved radially out in a respective channel.