US 6,308,423 B1Granted

Cutting tool with an improved guide repositioning structure

AssigneeMakita Corporation

InventorMasahiko Ono

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Abstract

A reciprocating saw includes a hexagonal head bolt (11) for releasably tightening a guide shoe (6) and a manually-operated bolt-tightening lever (15) fitted over the bolt (11). The bolt-tightening lever (15) includes a lock plate (17) which has at its front end a socket hole (22) that can fit around the head (14) of the hexagonal head bolt (11) and has a serrated edge with twelve notches each having an interior angle of 120 degrees. The lock plate (17) has at its rear end four engaging teeth (23) at intervals of four degrees around axis O of the hexagonal head bolt (11). The shape of the outer portion (18) is such that the outer portion can cover the lock plate (17). Moreover, the outer portion (18) has on its top side a circular hole (24) in which the head (14) of the bolt (11) can be fitted. The outer portion (18) includes also on its top side a compensation recess (25) in which the lock plate (17) is set and can pivot sixteen degrees in either direction about the axis O from the position in which the lock plate (17) is aligned with the outer portion (18). Formed at the rear end of the compensation recess (25) are a plurality of compensation teeth (26) that can mesh with the engaging teeth (23). The compensation teeth (26) span the 32 degree range in which the lock plate (17) pivots in the outer portion (18).

A cutting tool, comprising:

a housing;
a guide member slidably attached to the housing;
a screw member having an axis for securing the guide member in a desired position, the screw member being a bolt having a head;
a screw-tightening lever for rotating the screw member to secure the guide member;
and
a receiving portion for accommodating the screw-tightening lever at a rotational position of the screw member where the screw member secures the guide member, wherein the screw-tightening lever includes an internal lever which is connected to the screw member so as to be adjustable relative to the screw member so that the screw member is able to secure the guide member in the desired position, and an outer lever attached to the screw member so as to pivot with the screw member on the axis of the screw member, the screw tightening lever further including a coupling means for connecting the internal lever to the outer lever in the receiving portion within a predetermined range of deviation from a predetermined position so that the outer lever remains within a predetermined range of positions within the receiving portion at said rotational position of the screw member;
wherein the internal lever is connected to the bolt by fitting the head of the bolt into a polygonal socket hole formed in the internal lever so that the internal lever is pivotal on the bolt head and the pivotal position of the internal lever with respect to the bolt head is changeable by a plurality of predetermined units of angle corresponding to the angle of the corners of the polygonal socket hole, and further wherein the coupling means of the screw-tightening lever comprises a plurality of compensation teeth formed on the outer lever and a plurality of engaging teeth formed on the internal lever so as to engage the compensation teeth within a range of pivotal positions no less than the predetermined unit of pivotal angle of the internal lever with respect to the bolt head.

4 more elements

Abstract

Claims17