Locking assembly

The combination of a toolholder, tool support member and locking assembly, the locking assembly capable of releasably securing the toolholder within the tool support member, the combination comprising:

• a toolholder including a forward end, abutment face and a shank adjacent to and connected to the abutment face and extending rearwardly from the forward end;
• wherein the shank includes a first section and a second section, wherein the second section is perforated by a first and a second perforation that are circumferentially spaced from each other and having a slot extending rearwardly of each of the perforations, wherein the first and second perforations contain a lockable perforation having a lockable surface;
• a tool support member including a sidewall, a forwardly facing surface, a rearwardly facing surface, and a bore adapted to receive the shank of the toolholder, a passageway in communication with the bore extending through the sidewall of the tool support member for receiving the locking assembly, the forwardly facing surface engageable with the abutment face of the toolholder;
• and
• a locking assembly including a wedge screw and wedge members, the wedge screw including a generally longitudinally extending member having a threaded first end and second end and a projection between the first and second end and extending from the member, the wedge screw adapted to axially move within the passageway, wherein the first end is threaded in a direction opposite of the threads of the second end and wherein the number of threads per inch varies between the first end and the second end of the wedge screw;
• the wedge screw and the wedge members each adapted to threadably engage the first and second end of the wedge screw, wherein the wedge members are rotatably restrained in relation to the tool support member and axially movable along the wedge screw a controlled distance between a first position wherein the toolholder is locked with respect to the tool support member and a second position wherein the toolholder is released from the tool support member.

A method of locking and releasing a toolholder with respect to a tool support member using a locking assembly wherein the toolholder is locked with respect to the tool support member in a first position and the toolholder is released from the tool support member in a second position, the toolholder including a forward end, abutment face and a shank adjacent to and connected to the abutment face and extending rearwardly from the forward end;

• wherein the shank includes a first section and a second section, wherein the second section is perforated by a first and a second perforation that are circumferentially spaced from each other and having a slot extending rearwardly of each of the perforations, wherein the first and second perforations contain a lockable perforation having a lockable surface;
• the tool support member including a sidewall, a forwardly facing surface, a rearwardly facing surface, and a bore adapted to receive the shank of the toolholder, a passageway in communication with the bore extending through the sidewall of the tool support member for receiving the locking assembly, the forwardly facing surface engageable with the abutment face of the toolholder;
• and the locking assembly including a wedge screw and wedge members, the wedge screw including a generally longitudinally extending member having a threaded first end and second end and a projection between the first and second end and extending from the member, the wedge screw is axially and rotatably movable within the passageway, wherein the first end is threaded in a direction opposite of the threads of the second end and wherein the number of threads per inch varies between the first end and the second end of the wedge screw;
• the wedge members engage the first and second end of the wedge screw and are rotatably restrained in relation to the tool support member and axially movable along the wedge screw a controlled distance, wherein the wedge members include a side surface having a flat section and are rotatably fixed by a pin extending through an opening within a side surface of the tool support member adjacent the flat section, the method comprising the steps of:
• locking the toolholder with respect to the tool support member in the first position by threading the wedge screw into the wedge members thereby drawing the wedge members radially inwardly such that the wedge members contact the lockable surface around the lockable perforation within the shank of the toolholder thereby;
• and
• releasing the toolholder with respect to the tool support member in the second position by withdrawing the wedge screw from the wedge members and forcing the wedge members to move outwardly in opposite directions thereby unlocking the toolholder from the tool support member whereby the wedge members travel outwardly along the wedge screw within the passageway at different rates.