Guide system for routers
OwnerGregory J. Meinhardtinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable routering apparatus for use with a hand-held router to rout figures, designs, alphanumeric characters and the like without the requirement of a template for each figure, design, or character, wherein the apparatus is adjustable to accommodate workpieces of variable width and thickness and unlimited length. The apparatus consisting of a base, an adjustable workpiece clamp, a router guide fence, a plurality of indexing scales, and a plurality of guide blocks, wherein a workpiece is positioned on the base and secured with the clamp, and the movement of a hand-held router thereon is guided by the guide fence and blocks and positioned using the indexing scales.
Claims17
A system for guiding a router on a workpiece, which includes:
- (a) a base with a workpiece-engaging surface;
- (b) a workpiece clamp including a pair of opposing jaws with upper surfaces, said jaw upper surfaces forming a router working surface with said workpiece;
- (c) means for adjustably mounting said clamp on said base with said workpiece between said jaws;
- (d) a router guide fence including means for slidably engaging and guiding a router;
- and
- (e) means for mounting said fence on said clamp on top of said router working surface.
A system for guiding a router on a workpiece with upper and lower workpiece surfaces and opposite workpiece edges, which comprises:
- (a) a base with an upper, workpiece-engaging surface and a pair of slots extending in parallel, spaced relation;
- (b) a clamp including:
- (1) a pair of jaws each having a workpiece-engaging edge and a pair of holes positioned in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing between said base slots;
- and
- (2) a plurality of mechanical clamp-to-base fasteners each extending through a respective base slot and a respective jaw hole;
- (c) a fence assembly including:
- (1) a pair of opposite members;
- (2) means for mounting each fence member on a respective jaw;
- (3) a pair of fence rails each having a fixed end fixedly connected to one of said fence members and a free end;
- and
- (4) means for slidably connecting each said rail to the other of said fence members;
- and
- (5) said fence members and said fence rails forming a substantially rectangular fence enclosure.
A system for guiding a router including a base with a perimeter and a rotating bit projecting downwardly from the router base on a workpiece including an upper surface, a lower surface and opposite side edges, which includes:
- (a) a base including:
- (1) upper and lower surfaces;
- (2) top and bottom edges;
- (3) opposite side edges;
- (4) a cutout handle in proximity to and spaced from said top edge and substantially centered between said side edges;
- and
- (5) a pair of base slots extending in parallel, spaced relation to each other and to said side edges, each said base slot having a downwardly-open channel;
- (b) a workpiece clamp including first and second jaws each having:
- (1) a pair of opposite, curved, handle ends;
- (2) a workpiece-engaging edge;
- (3) a pair of clamp-to-base fastener receivers spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the spacing of said base slots;
- (4) a pair of jaw slots extending in parallel, spaced relation to each other and each having a downwardly-open channel;
- (5) a pair of clamp-to-base fasteners each comprising a nut and a bolt extending through a respective clamp-to-base receiver and through a respective base slot, each bolt including a head slidably received in said base slot channel and a shank threadably mounting said nut;
- (6) upper and lower surfaces;
- and
- (7) a recess on the jaw upper surface adjacent the workpiece-engaging edge intermediate the ends;
- (c) a guide fence including:
- (1) first and second members each having a pair of receivers spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to a spacing between said jaw slots;
- (2) said first member having a pair of upwardly-open fixed attachment notches;
- (3) said second member having a pair of upwardly-open slide attachment notches;
- (4) a pair of fence rails each including a fixed end fixedly received in a respective first member fixed attachment notch and a free end, each said fence rail being slidably received in a respective slide attachment notch intermediate its ends;
- (5) a plurality of fence-to-clamp fasteners each including a bolt received in a respective jaw slot and in a respective member receiver, each said bolt including a male-threaded shank and a head slidably received in a respective jaw slot channel, each said fastener further including a female-threaded nut threadably received on a respective bolt shank;
- and
- (6) a fence enclosure formed by said members and said rails;
- and
- (d) means for indexing said clamp position relative to said base, said indexing means including:
- (1) one of said jaws having a longitudinal workpiece scale in proximity to and substantially centered on its workpiece-engaging edge;
- (2) each said jaw having a pair of lateral scales adjacent to its ends;
- (3) each said jaw including a pair of end pointers extending from said jaw ends in spaced relation approximately corresponding to the spacing between said lateral scales;
- (4) a fence member longitudinal scale on one of said fence members in proximity to said fence enclosure;
- and
- (5) a fence rail lateral scale on one of said fence rails in proximity to said fence enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.