Apparatus for guiding the saw band of a band saw machine

A band saw machine including:

• (a) a workpiece table for supporting a workpiece advanced thereon in a feed direction;
• (b) a saw band for severing the workpiece in consecutive sawing steps in a cutting plane on the workpiece table;
• (c) saw band supporting means for swinging the saw band out of the cutting plane after each sawing step, for swinging the saw band into the cutting plane before each sawing step and for maintaining the saw band in the cutting plane during each sawing step;
• (d) openable and closable cooperating clamping jaws disposed downstream of the cutting plane as viewed in said feed direction for clamping the workpiece undergoing sawing by said saw band;
• (e) openable and closable cooperating feed jaws for advancing the workpiece toward said cutting plane in said feed direction, said feed jaws being disposed upstream of said cutting plane, said feed jaws being, in sequence, openable after closing said clamping jaws before termination of a cutting step, shiftable away from said cutting plane to an extent of a successive work piece feed and closable on the workpiece for moving the workpiece against said feed direction away from said cutting plane after the sawing step;
• and
• (f) shifting means for shifting said saw band supporting means away from and perpendicularly to said cutting plane toward the workpiece held spaced from and upstream of said cutting plane prior to swinging said saw band out of said cutting plane,
• wherein said saw band supporting means comprises guide arms and saw band guides carried by respective said guide arms;
• said means for shifting said saw band supporting means includes means for shifting at least one of said band guides away from and perpendicularly to said cutting plane toward the workpiece held spaced from and upstream of said cutting plane prior to swinging said saw band out of said cutting plane,
• wherein the band saw machine includes a stand,
• the apparatus further comprising a guide track for being disposed on the stand, at least one of the saw band guides, along with the guide arm that supports it, being essentially displaceable on the guide track of the stand in the direction of movement of the cutting run of the saw band,
• wherein the guide arm of at least one saw band guide that is displaceable on the guide track comprises a shiftable guide arm that can be acted upon by a force acting in the direction of the spaced workpiece material, and the shiftable guide arm is pivotally mounted so that it can be pivoted by said force for a return stroke of the saw band,
• the apparatus further comprising a spring for exerting the force acting on the shiftable guide arm.