Field repairable circular saw

Abstract

The present invention is an improved heavy duty circular saw useful for tree falling in conjunction with mechanized feller/buncher equipment. The saw is characterized by ruggedness, easy field repairability, and safety of operation. It is constructed using a flat metallic saw plate of circular configuration. A series of flat segment members are attached around the periphery of the saw plate on each face. Each of these segment members has a plurality of buttress- or tooth-shaped tooth retaining portions on the outer periphery. These buttresses are formed with gullet-shaped spaces between them. The segment members are in an abutting end-to-end relationship on each face of the saw plate. Segment members on opposite sides of the plate are in a staggered configuration so that the abutting end portions of the members on one side are generally located opposite the central portions of the segment members on the opposite side. The tooth retaining buttresses on each side are maintained in an aligned relationship. The segment members are preferably attached to the saw plate by bolting to threaded bushings retained within apertures in the saw plate. Individual teeth, bolted to the opposed buttress-shaped portions of the segment members, complete the construction. The saw is particularly strong because the design forms a continuous interconnected ring or hoop around the periphery. Cutting forces are spread throughout the ring and then transmitted to the saw disk. The interconnected hoop is a strong safety feature since the loss of several bolts in the construction will not cause catastrophic failure to the saw.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.