Precision adjustable woodworking platform

An adjustable woodworking platform comprising:

• (a) a “U”-shaped metal structure defining an upper frame of said platform, said upper frame comprising:
• an oblong shaped, rigid frame top made of two long rails and two short rails joined together at their ends and disposed in a plane;
• said short rails, each defining an end member of said frame top, said long rails, each defining a cross member of said frame top;
• said frame top including two metal straps which are located a distance apart, and attached to said cross members as frame stiffeners;
• support legs made of one inch diameter, stainless steel tubing;
• a support leg being attached to each corner of said frame top at 90 deg. to said plane of said frame top;
• two long, threaded lead screws;
• each lead screw being centered between two support legs that are located at an end member of said frame top, said lead screws extending through holes in said frame top and including a handle for manually rotating said lead screws;
• and,
• first means for rotating said lead screws simultaneously;
• (b) a transport assembly comprising two long, tubular rails and two end plates that are disposed in a horizontal plane, with each rail being placed between said end plates and connected at ends to an end plate, forming an oblong rectangle;
• said end plates, each having two vertical first holes which are located and spaced apart to allow two said support legs, each to pass through a first hole, and a centrally located, threaded second hole that is sized to engage a vertical lead screw which extends down from said frame top;
• said first holes, each end plate having an inserted bushing to facilitate sliding on two end support legs;
• said transport assembly, being horizontally mounted slidingly on two said end support legs that pass through said first holes and bushings at each said end plate, and at the same time engaging said lead screws;
• (c) a tool carriage that is slidingly mounted on said transport assembly, said tool carriage comprising:
• a metal saddle having a flat center portion joined to two opposing side walls and forming a “U” shape;
• each side wall including a centrally located third hole for a pivot pin and including two small fourth holes which are positioned a small distance apart horizontally, on either side of said third hole for use with fastening bolts;
• a cylindrical electric motor, having an axial drive shaft with a mounted first drive pulley, extending from one end;
• said motor being mounted on the center portion of said saddle, and placed centrally in parallel with said side walls;
• a tool drive shaft that is supported by two separated bushing blocks;
• said bushing blocks being attached to said center portion of said saddle underneath said center portion, directly under, and in line with a drive shaft of said motor;
• said tool drive shaft extending beyond said bushing blocks and including at one end, a chuck for securing a tool, and mounting at a distal end, one or more second drive pulleys;
• said tool drive shaft being oriented so that said second drive pulleys on said drive shaft are immediately under said first drive pulley on said motor;
• a drive belt that is connected to said first and second drive pulleys and transmits motor torque to said tool drive shaft;
• and,
• two identical, metal oblong, carriage side plates, each having a centrally positioned fifth hole for accepting a pivot pin, and having a large sixth hole that is located near each end, including a bushing that is seated in said sixth hole and sized for sliding along said rails of said transport assembly;
• said carriage side plates, each including a plurality of openings for fastening bolts, that are located surrounding the intended fifth hole for a pivot pin;
• said saddle being pivotably fastened and supported between said carriage side plates by pivot pins, with the location of said drive pulleys defining a rear of said saddle, and the location of said chuck on said tool drive shaft defining a front of said saddle;
• said tool carriage being mounted on said horizontal slide rails of said transport assembly and able to be slid from one side of said upper frame to the other;
• (d) second means for indicating the amount and number of rotations of said lead screws and thereby, the amount of vertical travel distance up or down of said transport assembly;
• (e) third means for orienting and setting, the front of said saddle tilted at an angle of up to plus or minus 45 deg. to a horizontal plane defined by said side plates, or setting said front of said saddle at 90 deg. to said horizontal plane;
• and,
• fourth means for indicating the tilt angle of said saddle;
• (f) a rectangular lower frame which is fabricated from steel channels which are welded or bolted together to form a table frame having four legs;
• said table frame having two long, paralleled channels serving as top front side and top back side, and two short channels serving as top left side and top right side, and joined to form a table frame top, said table frame top having a front edge and a back edge;
• said upper frame being bolted vertically to said table frame on said top left side and top right side at said rod legs;
• oriented so that said front of said tool carriage faces said front edge, and said horizontal rails of said transport assembly are aligned parallel with said front edge;
• said lead screws sitting on thrust bearings which allow said lead screws to turn in place;
• (g) a flat, smooth surfaced, rectangular wood table top, having a plurality of wide slots cut from adjacent to a front edge to near a back edge, said slots being disposed evenly spaced apart across said table top;
• said table top including clamps for clamping a workpiece to said table top through said slots;
• (h) fifth means for floatingly supporting said table top on said table frame top, enabling said table top to be moved a precise measured distance in a forward or backward direction with respect to said front edge of said table frame top;
• and,
• (i) sixth means for adjusting and fixing in place the angular position of any workpiece that may be placed on said table top for working;
• in operation, said transport assembly is lowered by rotating said handle that is attached to an end of a lead screw, until said tool carriage is located precisely at a desired distance above a workpiece which is clamped to said table top at any angle in the plane of the table top;
• the saddle in the tool carriage may have been set at a given angle with respect to the horizontal plane, prior to lowering the tool carriage, and the table top may be manually moved forward or backward a selected precise distance at any time during the operation.