Impact tool cartridge with fixed cutting blade and retractable seating table

A hand held impact tool for seating and cutting a communications wire in a terminal block, said impact tool including:

• a handle formed of a pair of body shells which are joined longitudinally to each other to form an opening between them at one longitudinal end of said handle,
• a tool cartridge supported in said handle and extending outwardly through said opening formed by said pair of body shells,
• a collar formed on said tool cartridge and having an undersurface which engages said longitudinal ends of said body shells,
• said tool cartridge having a shoulder and a base positioned in said handle,
• rotational indexing notches formed in said base,
• base support ribs and indexing notch engaging ribs formed on said body shells,
• a compression spring trapped between said shoulder of said tool cartridge and said longitudinal ends of said body shells to permit longitudinal movement of said cartridge toward said longitudinal ends of said body shells upon compression of said spring to release said cartridge base indexing notches from engagement with said body shell indexing notch engaging ribs to permit rotation of said tool cartridge relative to said engaging ribs and upon expansion of said spring to return said base of said cartridge into engagement with said base support ribs and said indexing notch engaging ribs when said tool cartridge has been rotatably indexed relative to said tool handle.

A hand held impact tool for seating and cutting in a communications wire in a terminal block, said impact tool including:

• a handle formed of a pair of body shells which are joined longitudinally to each other to form an opening between them at one longitudinal end of said handle,
• a tool cartridge supported in said handle and extending outwardly through said opening formed by said pair of body shells,
• a hammer pivotally mounted in said handle for rotational movement toward and away from at least one of said body shells and biased against said at least one of said body shells,
• a wire seating blade mounted in said cartridge for longitudinal movement relative thereto,
• a plunger mounted in said tool cartridge and extending into said handle to contact said hammer in an off-center relationship,
• said plunger mounted to move longitudinally against said hammer upon longitudinal movement of said wire seating blade into said handle to rotate said hammer away from said at least one of said body shells and against said biasing means,
• said plunger being further mounted so that continued longitudinal movement of said plunger against said hammer disengages said plunger and hammer allowing said biasing means to move said hammer into engagement with said at least one of said body shells.

A hand held impact tool for seating and cutting a communications wire in a terminal block, said impact tool including:

• a handle formed of a pair of body shells which are joined longitudinally to each other to form an opening between them at one longitudinal end of said handle,
• a tool cartridge supported in said handle and extending outwardly through said opening formed by said pair of body shells,
• a tool storage compartment formed in one of said body shells,
• a door for said compartment mounted on one of said body shells for rotation towards and away from said body shell to open and close said tool storage compartment.