Protective shield for a free-cutting tool

A protective shield assembly for a free-cutting tool including a cutterhead rotatably driven about a rotational axis, the cutterhead carrying a cutting filament rotating with the cutterhead and extending approximately radially of the rotational axis as said cutterhead rotates, the cutting filament defining a cutting circle having a nominal radius and a peripheral region, the protective shield assembly comprising:

• a protective shield at least partially covering said cutting circle;
• a cut-to-length knife moveably mounted on said protective shield in said peripheral region of said cutting circle;
• said cut-to-length knife having a cutting edge for cutting said cutting filament to a length corresponding to said nominal radius;
• and,
• said cut-to-length knife being pivotally moveable back and forth between a rest position wherein said cutting edge lies outside of said cutting circle and a cutting position wherein said cutting edge lies in the plane of said cutting circle at a location corresponding to said nominal radius whereat said cutting filament is cut back to have said nominal radius and said cutting filament runs at a radial distance from said cut-to-length knife when said cut-to-length knife is again in said rest position thereof;
• and means for storing energy to automatically return said cut-to-length knife to said rest position after said filament is cut back to said nominal radius.