Clamping assembly for woodworking knife

A clamping assembly for clamping one or more knife elements, having first and second opposed sides, onto a base member of a woodworking machine, said clamping assembly comprising:

• a first clamping component having first and second opposed sides and being sized and shaped to have at least three discrete contact positions on said first side thereof, said discrete contact positions comprising a surface defining a fulcrum located generally adjacent one end of the first clamping component, a knife abutting portion located generally adjacent the other end of the first clamping component abutting the first side of said one or more knife elements, and a bearing surface located separate from and between said fulcrum surface and separate from the knife abutting portion;
• a second clamping component having first and second ends and opposed sides, a bearing a support surface on the first side thereof sized, shaped and oriented such that it engages the bearing, surface of the first clamping component and another surface on the first side of the second clamping component adjacent one end thereof sized, shaped and oriented such that it engages the second opposite side of said one or more knife elements:
• an actuator for applying a clamping force against said first clamping component along a clamping axis located intermediate of said knife abutting portion and said fulcrum surface of the first clamping component and between the ends of the second clamping component, said force being directed against said one or more knife elements and at said fulcrum;
• said clamping components having aligned openings formed therein located along said clamping axis;
• said actuator having a head engaging the second side of the first clamping component and a threaded shank extending from said head through said aligned openings securing the clamping components to the base member and applying said clamping force in the direction toward the base member and second clamping member;
• i) said fulcrum surface and said knife abutting surface of the first clamping component and ii) said surface portion of the second clamping component engaging the second opposed side of said one or more knife elements, all being generally parallel to each other and inclined relative to the clamping axis and transverse to it;
• said clamping force causing a force to be developed at said fulcrum having a line of action towards said second clamping component surface and a reaction force to be developed at the second opposed side of said one or o knife elements directed against said knife abutting portion;
• said fulcrum surface of the first clamping component and said surface on the second clamping component engaging the second opposed side of said one or more knife elements, being formed as substantially planar surfaces whereby the application of said clamping force by the actuator on the first clamping component causes the first clamping component to slide along said second clamping component;
• said bearing surface of the first clamping component and the bearing support surface of the second clamping component being formed as substantially planar surfaces oriented and positioned to not bear the clamping force and located facing each other parallel to the clamping axis such that the application of said clamping force results in a reaction force developed at said bearing support surface against said bearing surface which resists sliding movement of said first clamping component, said reaction force developed against said bearing surface not bearing the clamping force and having a line of action that intersects with said line of action of said force developed at said fulcrum at a virtual fulcrum;
• said first clamping component having a dividing plane perpendicular to said clamping axis and passing through said fulcrum and said bearing, surface being positioned away from said fulcrum on the first clamping component on the same side of the plane as said knife abutting portion of the first clamping component;
• said virtual fulcrum being located further askew of said clamping axis than said fulcrum and on the same side of said dividing plane as said knife abutting portion.

A clamping assembly for clamping one or more knife elements having first and second opposed sides onto a woodworking machine, said assembly including:

• a first clamping component having two ends and first and second opposed sides, said first clamping component being sized and shaped to have three discrete contact positions distributed on the first side thereof, said three discrete contact positions comprising a surface defining a fulcrum located generally adjacent one end of said first side of the first clamping component, a surface defining a knife abutting portion located generally adjacent the other end of said first side of the first clamping component abutting the first side of said one or more knife elements, and a bearing surface located on said first side of said first clamping component separate from said fulcrum and positioned between the fulcrum and the knife abutting portion;
• a second clamping component having two ends and opposed sides, including a surface portion on the first side thereof sized, shaped and oriented such that said surface portion engages the second opposed side of said one or more knife elements to clamp said one or more knife elements between the clamping components and a bearing support surface on said first side of the second clamping component being sized, shaped and oriented such that said bearing support surface engages the bearing surface of the first clamping component;
• a base member having a fulcrum support surface formed thereon and a recess formed therein that is generally complementary to a portion of the peripheral surface of said second clamping component to seat the second clamping component relative to said fulcrum support surface of said base member;
• said first and second clamping components having openings formed therein located between the ends of the clamping component and extending there through from one side to the other in alignment with each other when the bearing support surface and bearing surface of the clamp elements are engaged;
• an actuator having i) a head engaged with the second surface of the first clamping component and ii) a threaded shank extending through the aligned openings in the clamping components;
• said shank having an end portion threadedly engaged in said base member whereby rotation of the actuator applies a clamping force to said first clamping component along a clamping axis located intermediate of said knife abutting portion and said fulcrum and in a direction towards the second clamping element and base member;
• said base member's fulcrum support surface being located thereon such that it engages the fulcrum surface of the first clamping component, such engagement supporting the first clamping component under the action of the clamping force and causing a reaction force to be developed against said fulcrum surface having a line of action that is directed away from said clamping axis;
• said fulcrum surface of the first clamping component and said fulcrum support surface of the base member being formed as substantially planar surfaces sized, shaped and oriented such that a line normal to said fulcrum surface and said fulcrum support surface of the base member is at an acute angle θ to said clamping axis;
• said surfaces defining the fulcrum and knife abutting portion of the first clamping component, said surface portion of the second component engaging said one or more knife elements and said fulcrum support surface of said base member all being generally parallel to each other and inclined relative to the clamping axis, whereby the first clamping component is caused to slide relative to the second clamping component and base member under the action of the clamping force;
• said bearing surface of the first clamping component and the bearing support surface of the second clamping component being formed as substantially planar surfaces being sized, shaped, oriented and positioned on the respective clamping components so as to not bear the clamping force end located facing each other parallel to the clamping axis so that a line normal to said bearing surface intersects said line normal to said fulcrum at a location farther askew of said clamping axis than said fulcrum
• whereby said engagement of said bearing surface and said bearing support surface resists movement of said first clamping component under the action of the clamping force.

A clamping assembly for clamping one or more knife elements having first and second opposed sides onto a woodworking machine, said clamping assembly including;

• a first clamping component having two ends and first and second opposed sides and being sized and shaped to have at least three discrete contact positions, said discrete contact positions located on said first side of said first clamping component comprising a first surface portion defining a fulcrum located generally adjacent one end of the first clamping component, a second surface defining a knife abutting portion located generally adjacent the other end of the first clamping component abutting the first side of said one or more knife elements, and a third surface portion defining a bearing, surface located on said first side of said first clamping component separate from said fulcrum and between the fulcrum and the knife abutting portion;
• a second clamping component having two ends and opposed sides including a surface portion on one side thereof engaging the second opposite side of said one or more knife elements to clamp said one or more knife elements between the clamping components;
• and a substantially planar bearing support surface on the same side of the second clamping component as the surface portion engaging the second side of said one more knife elements and engaging the bearing surface of said first clamping component;
• a base member having a fulcrum support surface formed thereon and a recess formed therein that is generally complementary to a portion of the peripheral surface of said second clamping, component to ac at the second clamping component relative to said fulcrum support surface of said base member;
• said first and second clamping components having openings formed therein located between their ends and extending from side to side of each clamping component and positioned to align when the bearing support surface and bearing surface of the clamp elements are engaged;
• an actuator having a head engaged with the second surface of the first clamping component and a threaded shank extending through the aligned openings in the clamping components;
• said shank having an end portion threadedly engaged in said base member whereby rotation of the actuator applies a clamping force to said first clamping component along a clamping axis located intermediate of said knife abutting portion and said fulcrum of the first clamping component and in a direction towards the second clamping component and base member;
• said fulcrum surface of the first clamping component, said fulcrum support surface of said base member, said knife abutting portion of said first clamping component and said surface of the second clamping component engaging the second side of said one or more knife elements all being generally parallel to each other and inclined relative to the clamping axis,
• said base member's fulcrum support surface being located thereon such that it engage the first surface portion of the first clamping component defining said fulcrum, such engagement supporting the first clamping component under the action of the clamping force and resulting in a first reaction force being developed against said fulcrum of the first clamping component, and a second reaction force being developed against said surface of the second clamping component engaging the second side of said one or more knife elements;
• said first reaction force at said fulcrum having a line of action that is at an acute angle θ to said clamping axis and is directed away from the clamping axis;
• said bearing surface of the first clamping component and the bearing support surface of the second clamping component being sized, shaped, oriented, and positioned to engage each other such that they do not bear the clamping force and are generally planar surfaces facing each other and being parallel to the clamping axis, whereby the clamping force is directed by the first clamping component against said one or more knife elements and said fulcrum support surface and causes said first clamping component to slide under the action of the first and second reaction forces developed against the first clamping component at said fulcrum support surface and the reaction force developed against said one or more knife elements, and the engagement of said bearing surface and said bearing support surface resists sliding of said first clamping component with a third reaction force developed against the bearing surface having a line of action that intersects with said line of action of said first reaction force developed against said fulcrum at a location farther askew of said clamping axis than said fulcrum, whereby the fulcrum and knife support surfaces support the clamping component against the clamping force induced by the actuator and the third reaction force developed against the bearing surface by the bearing support surface resists sliding of the first clamping member.