Patent ID: 7201646

Claim:
A hand held sander for use with a continuous sanding belt, said hand held sander comprising: (a) a first body portion having each of a predetermined width, a predetermined length and a predetermined thickness; (b) a second body portion having said each of said predetermined width and said predetermined thickness; and (c) means engageable with said first body portion and said second body portion and operable for selectively moving said second body portion in a first linear direction away from said first body portion for applying a predetermined tension in such continuous sanding belt and in a second linear direction towards said first body portion for releasing said predetermined tension applied within such continuous sanding belt, said tension means including: (i) a pair of cavities each formed in a respective side edge of said first body portion which is parallel to each of said first and said second linear direction, (ii) a pair of elongated members mounted in a parallel spaced relationship each slideably engageable with said first body portion and attached to said second body portion for moving said second body portion in said first and said second direction and for maintaining a planar relationship of said first and said second body portion, (iii) a pair of notches each formed within a respective one of said pair of elongated members and positioned within a respective one of said pair of cavities of said first body portion, (iv) a pair of attachment means each engageable with said first body portion and having a threaded portion thereof disposed within said respective one of said pair of cavities, and (v) a pair of wheels each having a threaded aperture axially disposed therein for threadably engaging said threaded portion of a respective one of said pair of attachment means, said each of said pair of wheels is disposed within said respective cavity formed in said first body and is caged by a respective one of said pair of notches, whereby a reciprocal rotation of said each of said pair of wheels causes a linear movement thereof enabled by said threaded portion and further causes a linear movement of said pair of elongated members enabling movement of said second body portion in said first and said second linear direction.