Patent ID: 7290963

Claim:
A guide assembly for use with a rotating bit when forming an opening in a stone countertop, said guide assembly comprising: a generally annular base unit having a vertically extending interior opening and a resiliently flexible body; means for detachably mounting said base unit to a surface of a stone countertop so that said interior opening of said base unit forms a reservoir for retaining a volume of fluid therein; at least one bushing member that is mountable atop said base unit and that has an opening for receiving and guiding said rotating bit downwardly through said interior opening of said base unit and against said surface of said countertop, said at least one bushing member comprising: a plurality of bushing members having guide openings of differing diameters for use with different sizes of bits; and means for detachably mounting said plurality of bushing members interchangeably to said base unit, said means for detachably mounting said bushing members to said base unity comprising: a substantially rigid load-bearing ring that is embedded in said resiliently flexible body about said interior opening of said base unit so as to receive loads from said bushing members that are mountable thereto; and a plurality of mounting pegs that extend upwardly from said rigid ring above said resiliently flexible body at spaced locations about a perimeter of said base unit, for being received in locking engagement with cooperating openings about perimeters of said bushing members.