Patent ID: 7296356

Claim:
A portable saw having a housing, a handle affixed to the housing, a motor oriented in the housing, a saw blade operably driven by the motor for performing a cutting operation, and an adjustable base affixed to the housing for permitting selective adjustment of the base relative to the housing, the adjustable base comprising: a longitudinal shell having a generally arcuate cross section with an outer region secured to the housing and an inner region facing away from the housing, the shell having a longitudinal axis generally parallel with a cutting plane of the saw blade, the shell having a transverse slot formed therethrough; a baseplate affixed to the shell, the baseplate having a generally planar contact surface spaced apart and opposed from the housing for engaging a workpiece and supporting the saw thereon; a shaft mounted to the housing for limited rotary and axial movement relative thereto, the shaft having a distal end extending from the housing, through the transverse slot and into the shell inner region; a collar operably connected to the shaft, the collar having a first cam surface cooperating with a corresponding second cam surface that is rotationally fixed for limited axial translation relative to the housing, a lever mounted to the collar and rotatable around an axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis so that rotation of the collar in an unlock direction extends the distal end of the shaft away from the housing, and rotation of the shaft in a lock direction retracts the distal end of the shaft towards the housing; and a longitudinal clamp member received within the shell inner region and cooperating with the shaft distal end for clamping the shell to the housing, the clamp member being sized so that the shell inner region can pivot about the clamp member as the transverse slot provides clearance for the shaft; wherein the shaft is threadably engaged to at least one of the collar, the housing or the clamp member so that rotation of the collar in the unlock direction either extends the shaft further away from the housing or extends the clamp member along the shaft away from the housing, and rotation of the collar in the lock direction either retracts the shaft towards the housing or retracts the clamp member along the shaft towards the housing thereby permitting the shell to be loosened and secured relative to the housing as the shaft is rotated in the lock and unlock directions respectively.