Cable slitting and spreading tool

A tool for slitting and spreading an elongate cable comprising:

• a housing;
• support means on said housing defining a longitudinal direction and a fixed plane for supporting a longitudinal extent of said cable thereon;
• and
• a rotary cutting member mounted on said housing for rotation about an axis transverse said longitudinal direction, said cutting member having a piercing point thereon and a slicing edge extending outwardly therealong to said piercing point, said slicing edge being substantially orthogonal to said axis and defining a plane extending in said longitudinal direction during rotation of said cutting member,
• a curved wedge on said cutting member lying in an arcuate direction about said axis, said curved wedge having an inclined surface therealong extending gradually away from the plane defined by said slicing edge in the direction of said axis of rotation, said piercing point, slicing edge and curved wedge being disposed to intersect said fixed plane during rotation of said cutting member.

A tool for slitting and spreading the insulating sheath of an elongate sheathed three-conductor cable having two outer conductors and a central conductor, comprising:

• a housing;
• cable support means on said housing for supporting a longitudinal extent of said cable in a fixed plane in a longitudinal direction;
• a pair of spaced rotary cutting members mounted on said housing for rotation about an axis transverse said longitudinal direction, each cutting member including a piercing point for piercing the sheath of a cable positioned on said cable support means on opposite sides of said central conductor upon rotation of said cutting members,
• each of said cutting members having a slicing edge extending radially therealong to said piercing point, each slicing edge lying in substantially parallel longitudinally extending planes for progressively slicing said sheath longitudinally upon continued rotation of said cutting members, and
• a curved wedge on each of said cutting members extending arcuately about said axis, each curved wedge having an inclined surface gradually extending outwardly away from the respective planes of said slicing edges for progressively longitudinally entering said sliced sheath, spreading the outer conductors laterally away from said central conductor and exiting said sliced sheath during continuous rotation of said cutting members.

In a tool for slitting and spreading conductors in a sheathed multiconductor cable of the type having means for supporting a longitudinal extent of said cable in a fixed longitudinal direction, apparatus comprising:

• rotary cutting means mounted adjacent said supporting means for rotation in said tool about an axis transverse said longitudinal direction including:
• a. piercing means for piercing at a first point the sheath of a cable positioned on said supporting means upon rotation of said rotary cutting means;
• b. slicing means for progressively slicing upon continued rotation of said cutting means said sheath longitudinally unidirectionally from said first point to a second point;
• and
• c. curved wedging means for entering said cable between said first and second point at a third point and for laterally spreading sliced portions of said sheath from said third point progressively longitudinally unidirectionally to a fourth point upon rotation of said cutting means, the distance between said third and fourth points being less than the distance between said first and second points.