Patent ID: 8151673

Claim:
A clamping unit for releasably holding a tubular toolholder shank, comprising: a) a base member with 1) a base member longitudinal axis extending therethrough; 2) a laterally facing abutment surface; and 3) a shank bore intersecting with and extending inwardly from the laterally facing surface for receiving the toolholder shank, wherein the shank bore has a shank bore axis that is non-parallel to the base member longitudinal axis; b) a lock rod with a forward end and a rearward end within the base member movable along the base member longitudinal axis in a forward and rearward reciprocating motion for securing the toolholder shank within the bore to a locked position and for releasing the toolholder shank from the bore to an unlocked position; and c) at least one spring biased to urge the lock rod into the locked position.