Computer-controlled band saw sharpener

A band saw sharpener comprising:

• a. a grinding head assembly including an arbor, a grinding heel mounted on said arbor, and a motor rotatably driving said arbor;
• b. a saw feed mechanism including a reciprocating feed finger, providing indexing of the saw through the sharpener;
• c. a sharpener frame;
• d. a sub-frame attached to said sharpener frame, said sub-frame including a pair of parallel plates, and a pair of support members extending between said plates;
• e. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, X-axis driver, having a driver frame and a horizontally driven carrier attached to the saw feed mechanism, said driver frame being attached to one of said support members;
• f. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, Y-axis driver, having a driver frame and a vertically driven carrier attached to the grinding head assembly;
• said driver frame being attached to the other of said support members;
• and,
• g. computer means interconnected to said Y and X axis drivers, for selectively moving the grinding wheel downwardly and upwardly through a Y-axis and selectively moving the feed finger forwardly and rearwardly through an X-axis, so that a plurality of successive teeth, each having a hook portion and a gullet portion of predetermined location and configuration are ground into the saw by the grinding wheel.

An apparatus for use with a band saw sharpener having:

• (1) a grinding head assembly including an arbor, a grinding wheel mounted on the arbor, and a motor rotatably driving the arbor;
• (2) a saw feed mechanism including a reciprocating feed finger, providing indexing of the saw through the sharpener;
• and, (3) a sharpener frame, comprising:
• a. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, X-axis driver, having a driver frame and a horizontally driven carrier attached to the saw feed mechanism, said X-axis driver including a servo motor mounted on said driver frame, said servo motor having a rotary output shaft attached to a threaded shaft, said horizontally driven carrier being threadably engaged with said threaded shaft, and further including a position encoder on said rotary output shaft, said position encoder providing output pulses corresponding to the extent and speed of rotation of said threaded shaft;
• b. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, Y-axis driver, having a driver frame and a vertically driven carrier attached to the grinding head assembly;
• c. means for mounting said driver frame of said X-axis driver and said driver frame of said Y-axis driver to said sharpener frame;
• and,
• d. computer means interconnected to said X and Y axis drivers and responsive to said output pulses of said position encoder, for selectively moving the feed finger forwardly and rearwardly through an X-axis and selectively moving the grinding wheel downwardly and upwardly through a Y-axis, so that a plurality of successive teeth, each having a hook portion and a gullet portion of predetermined location and configuration, are ground into the saw by the grinding wheel.

An apparatus for use with a band saw sharpener having:

• (1) a grinding head assembly including an arbor, a grinding wheel mounted on the arbor, and a motor rotatably driving the arbor;
• (2) a saw feed mechanism including a reciprocating feed finger, providing indexing of the saw through the sharpener;
• and, (3) a sharpener frame, comprising:
• a. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, X-axis driver, having a driver frame and a horizontally driven carrier attached to the saw feed mechanism, said X-axis driver including a servo motor mounted on said driver frame, said servo motor having a rotary output shaft attached to a threaded shaft comprising a ball screw, said horizontally driven carrier being threadably engaged with said ball screw, and in which said horizontally driven carrier comprises:
• a carrier box;
• a ball screw nut mounted within said carrier box, said ball screw nut having internal threads and including a plurality of balls between said internal threads and said threads on said shaft;
• and, a bushing secured to said carrier box, said bushing being connected to a drive arm for the feed finger mechanism;
• b. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, Y-axis driver, having a driver frame and a vertically driven carrier attached to the grinding head assembly;
• c. means for mounting said driver frame of said X-axis driver and said driver frame of said Y-axis driver to said sharpener frame;
• and,
• d. computer means interconnected to said X and Y axis drivers, for selectively moving the feed finger forwardly and rearwardly through an X-axis and selectively moving the grinding wheel downwardly and upwardly through a Y-axis, so that a plurality of successive teeth, each having a hook portion and a gullet portion of predetermined location and configuration, are ground into the saw by the grinding wheel.

An apparatus for use with a band saw sharpener having:

• (1) a grinding head assembly including an arbor, a grinding wheel mounted on the arbor, and a motor rotatably driving the arbor;
• (2) a saw feed mechanism including a reciprocating feed finger, providing indexing of the saw through the sharpener;
• and, (3) a sharpener frame, comprising:
• a. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, X-axis driver, having a driver frame and a horizontally driven carrier attached to the saw feed mechanism;
• b. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, Y-axis driver, having a driver frame and a vertically driven carrier attached to the grinding head assembly, said Y-axis driver including a servo motor mounted on said driver frame, said servo motor having a rotary output shaft attached to a threaded shaft, said vertically driven carrier being threadably engaged with said threaded shaft, and further including a position encoder on said rotary output shaft, said position encoder providing output pulses corresponding to the extent and speed of rotation of said threaded shaft;
• c. means for mounting said driver frame of said X-axis driver and said driver frame of said Y-axis driver to said sharpener frame;
• and,
• d. computer means interconnected to said X and Y axis drivers and responsive to said output pulses of said position encoder, for selectively moving the feed finger forwardly and rearwardly through an X-axis and selectively moving the grinding wheel downwardly and upwardly through a Y-axis, so that a plurality of successive teeth, each having a hook portion and a gullet portion of predetermined location and configuration, are ground into the saw by the grinding wheel.

An apparatus for use with a band saw sharpener having:

• (1) a grinding head assembly including an arbor, a grinding wheel mounted on the arbor, and a motor rotatably driving the arbor;
• (2) a saw feed mechanism including a reciprocating feed finger, providing indexing of the saw through the sharpener;
• and, (3) a sharpener frame, comprising:
• a. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, X-axis driver, having a driver frame and a horizontally driven carrier attached to the saw feed mechanism;
• b. an electro-mechanical, reciprocating, Y-axis driver, having a driver frame and a vertically driven carrier attached to the grinding head assembly, said Y-axis driver including a servo motor mounted on said driver frame, said servo motor having a rotary output shaft attached to a threaded shaft comprising a ball screw, said vertically driven carrier being threadably engaged with said ball screw, and in which said vertically driven carrier comprises:
• a carrier box;
• a ball screw nut mounted within said carrier box, said ball screw nut having internal threads and including a plurality of balls between said internal threads and said threads on said shaft;
• and, a bushing secured to said carrier box, said bushing being connected to a drive arm for the grinding head assembly;
• c. means for mounting said driver frame of said X-axis driver and said driver frame of said Y-axis driver to said sharpener frame;
• and,
• d. computer means interconnected to said X and Y axis drivers, for selectively moving the feed finger forwardly and rearwardly through an X-axis and selectively moving the grinding wheel downwardly and upwardly through a Y-axis, so that a plurality of successive teeth, each having a hook portion and a gullet portion of predetermined location and configuration, are ground into the saw by the grinding wheel.