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US 6,571,671 B1Granted
Quick change tool post having laterally off-set dovetail connections
OwnerEnrico R. Giannettiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A quick-change tool post, having a rectangular tool post body with a bore there through defining an axis of rotation. The body defines a plurality of generally rectangular tool support faces and a plurality of laterally offset external dovetail connections receiving internal dovetail connections of overlapping tool support members. A post extends through the body and defines a pivot about which the body is rotatable. An indexing mechanism having locking and unlocking conditions permits unlocking of the post during a first increment of rotational locking handle movement and rotation of the post during a second increment of rotational movement of the handle in the same rotational direction.
Claims19
A quick-change indexing tool post, comprising:
- a generally rectangular tool post body having a plurality of generally rectangular tool support faces each defining a substantially vertical centerline;
- a plurality of external tool post body dovetail connections each being defined by one of said generally rectangular tool support faces and each having a substantially vertical centerline being laterally offset with respect to said substantially vertical centerline of a respective generally rectangular tool support face;
- a holding post extending through said generally rectangular tool post body and defining a pivot about which said generally rectangular tool post body is rotatable, said post being adapted for releasable mounting in fixed relation with a machine tool bed;
- an interlocking indexing mechanism having a locking condition maintaining said generally rectangular tool post body in substantially immovable relation with said holding post and the machine tool bed and having a release condition permitting rotation of said generally rectangular tool post body about said holding post to a desired position;
- a plurality of generally rectangular tool support members each defining an internal tool support dovetail connection being receivable in interfitting relation by respective ones of said plurality of external tool post body dovetail connections;
- and
- said plurality of generally rectangular tool support members each having a width substantially equal to the width of a respective tool support face of said generally rectangular tool post body and being positioned by the respective laterally offset dovetail connection of said generally rectangular tool post body with one side thereof extending beyond a respective side of said generally rectangular tool post body.
4 more elements
A quick-change indexing tool post, comprising:
- a generally rectangular tool post body having a plurality of generally rectangular tool support faces each defining a substantially vertical centerline;
- a plurality of external tool post body dovetail connections each being defined by one of said generally rectangular tool support faces and each having a substantially vertical centerline being laterally offset with respect to said substantially vertical centerline of a respective generally rectangular tool support face;
- a plurality of generally rectangular tool support members each defining an internal dovetail connection being receivable in interfitting relation by respective ones of said plurality of said external tool post body dovetail connections, said plurality of generally rectangular tool support members each having a width substantially equal to the width of a respective tool support face of said generally rectangular tool post body and being positioned by the respective laterally offset external tool post body dovetail connection of said generally rectangular tool post body with one side thereof extending beyond a respective side of said generally rectangular tool post body and with respective sides of adjacent generally rectangular tool support members disposed in overlapping relation;
- a holding post extending through said generally rectangular tool post body and defining a pivot about which said generally rectangular tool post body is rotatable, said holding post being adapted for releasable mounting in fixed relation with a machine tool bed;
- a tubular indexing post being located about said holding post and being movable relative thereto;
- an interlocking indexing mechanism having a first spline being in fixed relation with said generally rectangular tool post body and a second spline being in fixed relation with said tubular indexing post, said first and second splines being relatively movable to a locking condition maintaining said generally rectangular tool post body in substantially immovable relation with said holding post and the machine tool bed and having a release condition permitting rotation of said generally rectangular tool post body about said holding post to a desired position;
- and
- an indexing actuator being manually movable relative to said generally rectangular tool post body and imparting locking and releasing movement to said tubular indexing post for selective locking and releasing movement of said second indexing element relative to said first indexing element.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.