Apparatus for installing wooden decking

An apparatus for installing wooden deck planks on a supporting frame of joists comprising:

• a base;
• an actuator mounted on said base and having output means for movement between an open position and a closed position;
• a fixed clamp mounted on said base for engagement with an edge of a deck plank;
• a sliding clamp attached to said actuator output means for engagement with an edge of a deck plank, said sliding clamp being spaced from said fixed clamp by a predetermined distance exceeding the width of two adjacent deck planks when said actuator output means is in the open position, said sliding clamp including an angle bracket having a shorter leg attached to said actuator output means and a longer leg, a spacer bar attached to said angle bracket longer leg, and a sliding angle clamp having a longer leg attached to said spacer bar and a shorter leg for engagement with an edge of a deck plank;
• and
• a spacer slidably mounted on said base between said fixed clamp and said sliding clamp and having a predetermined thickness corresponding to a desired spacing between two adjacent deck planks whereby when said actuator output means is in the open position, said base can be rested on an upper surface of a first deck plank attached to a deck frame and an upper surface of a second unattached deck plank with said fixed clamp engaging an opposite edge of the first deck plank and said spacer extending between facing edges of the first and second deck planks and when said actuator output means is moved toward the closed position, said sliding clamp engages an opposite edge of the second plank and said spacer abuts the facing edges of the first and second planks.

An apparatus for installing wooden deck planks on a supporting deck frame comprising:

• a frame having a generally planar base plate with an upper surface and a lower surface;
• an actuator mounted on said frame above said base and having an output means movable between a predetermined open position and a predetermined closed position in response to connection to a power supply;
• "a handle attached to said frame extending upwardly from said actuator for positioning and maintaining said base plate lower surface on a first deck plank attached to a supporting deck frame;
• a control device mounted on said frame and connected to said actuator for connecting said actuator to a power supply and selectively controlling said actuator to move said output means between said open position and said closed position;
• a fixed clamp mounted on said frame and having a leg extending below said base plate lower surface for engagement with an edge of the first deck plank;
• a sliding clamp attached to said output shaft and having a leg extending below said lower surface for engagement with an edge of an unattached second deck plank positioned on the supporting deck frame and adjacent to the first deck plank;
• and
• a spacer plate slidably mounted on said frame between said fixed clamp and said sliding clamp and extending below said base plate lower surface and having a predetermined thickness corresponding to a desired spacing between the adjacent first and second deck planks whereby when said control device controls said actuator to move said output means to said open position, said base plate lower surface can be placed on an upper surface of the first deck plank and on an upper surface of the second deck plank, the first and second deck planks each having a facing edge and an opposite edge, with said fixed clamp leg engaging the opposite edge of the first deck plank and said spacer plate extending between the facing edges of the first and second deck planks, and when said control device controls said actuator to move said output means toward said closed position, said sliding clamp leg engages the opposite edge of the second plank and forces the facing edges of the first and second planks into abutment with said spacer plate.