Power tool with brush shifting and reversing switch assembly

A power tool comprising:

• a housing having front and rear ends;
• a reversible motor comprising an armature having forward and rearward ends, an output shaft at the forward end of the armature, a commutator at the rearward end of the armature and a stator having a pair of field windings, each winding having first and second ends;
• a manual switch for connecting and disconnecting the first end of each winding to a power source;
• first and second spaced winding contacts fixed to the stator, each winding contact connected respectively to the second end of each winding;
• a brush support rotatably movable relative to the winding contacts and having a pair of brushes and first and second brush contacts connected respectively to the brushes;
• the winding contacts and the brush contacts comprising a reversing switch for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor, the reversing switch surrounding the commutator;
• an actuator connected to the brush support and movable between (a) a first position wherein the first winding and brush contacts are connected and the second brush and winding contacts are connected for rotation of the motor in one direction and (b) a second position wherein the first winding and second brush contacts are connected and the second winding and the first brush contacts are connected for rotation of the motor in the opposite direction;
• and
• said actuator comprising:
• (a) a sleeve spaced forwardly from the commutator, piloted on and surrounding the stator and rotatable about the armature axis, said sleeve guiding movement of the actuator between the first and second positions;
• and
• (b) a manually engagable tab extending from the sleeve forwardly of and remote from the reversing switch, said tab movable between first and second locations corresponding to first and second actuator positions.

A power tool comprising:

• a reversible motor having (a) a stator and (b) an armature rotatable about an axis and having a commutator disposed at one end of the armature;
• a brush support adjacent to the commutator, rotatably movable about the armature axis and having a pair of brushes disposed on the support and engagable with the commutator;
• an actuator connected tot he brush support and rotatable about the armature axis between first and second positions corresponding to the forward and reverse directions of rotation of the motor armature;
• and
• said actuator comprising:
• (a) a sleeve spaced forwardly from the commutator, piloted on and surrounding the stator and rotatable about the armature axis, said sleeve guiding movement of the actuator between the first and second positions;
• and
• (b) a manually engagable tab extending from the sleeve forwardly of and remote from the brush support, said tab movable between first and second locations corresponding to first and second actuator positions.