Tool for and method of installing metal stud wall system
OwnerEyal Gliskoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tool connects a stud in place to a longitudinal track in a metal stud wall system installation. The tool includes a tool head having an upright slot in which a track flange is received and a pair of rams mounted on the tool head for linear movement transversely of the track. The rams are spaced apart and straddle opposite sides of the stud. The rams have leading tips with cutting edges. An actuator moves the rams into cutting engagement with the track flange in the upright slot to cut hinged tabs in the track flange, and to bend the hinged tabs into frictional engagement with the opposite sides of the upright stud to connect the upright stud in place to the track.
Claims16
A tool for connecting an upright stud in place to a horizontal track having a track web extending along a longitudinal direction and track flanges extending away from the track web in a metal stud wall system installation, comprising:
- a tool head having a base, a pair of mutually parallel, generally planar, guide walls fixedly supported on the base and spaced apart to bound an upright slot in which one of the track flanges is received during use of the tool, and a pair of mutually parallel bores extending generally perpendicularly through one of the guide walls to the upright slot along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;
- a pair of movable rams each mounted on the tool head for linear movement along the transverse direction through the bores, the rams being spaced apart along the longitudinal direction and straddling opposite sides of the upright stud, the rams having leading tips with cutting edges;
- and
- an actuator for moving the rams through the bores into cutting engagement with the one track flange in the upright slot to cut hinged tabs in the one track flange, and to bend the hinged tabs into frictional sliding engagement with the opposite sides of the upright stud to permit relative sliding movement between the upright stud and the track.
A method of connecting an upright stud in place to a horizontal track having a track web extending along a longitudinal direction and track flanges extending away from the track web in a metal stud wall system installation, comprising the steps of:
- configuring a tool head with a base, a pair of mutually parallel, generally planar, guide walls fixedly supported on the base and spaced apart to bound an upright slot, and a pair of mutually parallel bores extending generally perpendicularly through one of the guide walls to the upright slot along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;
- receiving one of the track flanges in the upright slot of the tool head;
- mounting a pair of movable rams on the tool head for linear movement along the transverse direction through the bores, and spacing the rams apart along the longitudinal direction to straddle opposite sides of the upright stud, and configuring the rams with leading tips having cutting edges;
- moving the rams through the bores into cutting engagement with the one track flange in the upright slot to cut hinged tabs in the one track flange;
- and
- bending the hinged tabs into frictional sliding engagement with the opposite sides of the upright stud to permit relative sliding movement between the upright stud and the track.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.