Power tool with locking fence

A power tool comprising:

• a base including a workpiece support, said workpiece support defining a through-slot;
• a motor and working implement operatively mounted on said base, said motor driving said working implement for cutting a workpiece placed on said base;
• a fence connected to the base and having a workpiece-engaging portion selectively adjustable to both a selected angular orientation and a selected location on said base relative to the working implement, said fence including a base portion moveable in both location and angular orientation on the workpiece support;
• cam-operated locking means operatively associated with the fence base portion and the through-slot for simultaneously locking the workpiece-engaging portion in both the selected angular orientation and the selected location;
• the cam-operated locking means including a first clamping member above the fence base portion, a second clamping member beneath the workpiece support, an actuator disposed between the fence base portion and the first clamping member and moveable from a first unlocking position to a second locking position, and fastening means for connecting the first clamping member to the second clamping member through the fence base portion and the through-slot so that the fence is locked to the workpiece support when the actuator is moved to the second position;
• wherein the actuator includes an arm portion for moving the actuator to the first and second positions and a cam portion sandwiched between and engaging with the first clamping member and the fence base portion;
• the fastening means including two fasteners connecting the first clamping member to the second clamping member;
• the actuator cam portion being located intermediate the two fasteners;
• whereby moving of the actuator arm portion from its first position so that the actuator moves to its second position cams the first locking member away from the work support, thereby forcing the actuator into clamping engagement with the fence base portion and the second member into engagement with the workpiece support.

A method of using an adjustable fence on a work surface, comprising the steps of:

• providing an arcuate slot in the fence and a slot in the work surface;
• maintaining the arcuate fence slot in juxtaposition to the work surface slot by providing at least one member linking the arcuate fence slot and the work surface slot;
• guiding the fence via said slot in the work surface to a selected location on the work surface by moving the linking member along said work surface slot;
• adjusting the angular orientation of the fence on the work surface by moving the linking member along said arcuate slot in the fence;
• providing an actuator which is operatively associated with the linking member and the fence;
• and
• clamping the fence to the work surface simultaneously in said selected location and in a selected angular orientation by moving said actuator to a locking position, thereby locking the fence in both its predetermined location and its angular orientation.

A fence system on a power tool having a work surface, comprising:

• a fence member movably supported on the work surface and defining an arcuate slot means for enabling adjustment of the angular orientation of the fence member on the work surface;
• guiding means formed in the work surface for enabling the fence to be guided along a predetermined path to a selected location on the work surface;
• means for linking the arcuate fence slot means to the guiding means;
• and
• means, operatively associated with the means for linking, for simultaneously locking the fence in both its adjusted angular orientation and in its selected location on the work surface.

A fence system on a work surface, comprising:

• a fence member having a base portion, and an arcuate slot in said base portion;
• the work surface having an underside, and a guiding slot in said work surface;
• an actuator engaging the base portion and moveable from an unlocking position to a locking position;
• a first clamping member engaging the actuator;
• a second clamping member releasably engaging the underside of the work surface;
• and
• linking means operatively associated with the arcuate slot and the guiding slot and connecting the first clamping member to the second clamping member, wherein movement of the actuator to the locking position simultaneously forces the first clamping member away from the base portion and the second clamping member against the underside of the work surface to lock the fence base portion in a selected location and angular orientation on the work surface.