Woodworking jig

Abstract

The present invention relates to a woodworking jig formed by a plank (1) with a main face (3) that has a flange (2) on one side, the main face (3) having a series of perpendicular holes distributed throughout the main face (3), wherein respective movable nails (4) are arranged through the holes and can be locked in position. The nails are usually locked in position by means of rubber projections or the like in hydraulic or pneumatic circuits, or are actuated by means of latches (5) or manually. The jig can have a cover (6) that can be attached parallel to the main face (3) at a predetermined distance. This cover (6) can have its own lockable nails (4).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Woodworking template

[0003] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The invention, as the title of this specification indicates, is a woodworking jig. It allows a thicknesser to perform planing functions on pieces of wood, generating a first flat surface from which it performs its thicknessing function. It also allows edge processing without the need to previously plan or thickness the surfaces of the piece.

[0005] STATE OF THE ART

[0006] In carpentry, it's essential that the wood be completely straight before it can be worked. All sides must be straight, parallel, and square. This is known as planing and thicknessing. They are two different processes, and first we have to plan, ensuring one side of the wood is perfectly flat, and then thickness, or ensure that the other side is parallel. This can be achieved manually, but it requires considerable skill and time. Mechanical solutions achieve perfect results quickly.

[0007] These machines are basically a planer and a thicknesser. They can be purchased separately or together, such as a combined planer-thicknesser, for example. These machines are very expensive and take up considerable space in the workshop. Therefore, they are not suitable solutions for hobbyists, small craftsmen, or even some professionals with limited workspace or limited capital. Most only have a thicknesser, a so-called portable type, which is small in size and weight.

[0008] It is convenient to have a simple, reliable and precise solution that allows you to convert any thickness planer into a planer.

[0009] Currently, the existence of any template that presents structural and constitutive technical characteristics equal to or similar to those described in this specification is unknown.

[0010] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is the creation of a carpentry template that provides a notable innovation within its field of application in the current state of the art, the characterizing details that make it possible being conveniently included in the final claims that accompany this description.

[0011] The present invention relates to a template that can copy the irregular or curved surface of raw wood, so that the opposite surface can be worked by the thicknesser to form a flat surface, as if it were a planing machine.

[0012] In addition, several pieces can be arranged on the same template and worked in parallel, even if their thickness, width, or length are different, as long as they do not exceed the dimensioned space of the template.

[0013] In addition, the template takes up little space, so it can be stored anywhere in any workshop, no matter how small.

[0014] It is a universal template, since the only limitation it imposes is the working dimensions of the thicknesser. The template can be used with any make and model of thicknesser. The template accepts pieces of wood of equal, smaller, or larger dimensions than the template, with the possibility, in the latter case, of joining templates both widthwise and lengthwise up to the maximum sizing capacity of the thicknesser machine. When joining them lengthwise, as many pieces as desired can be joined, since the thicknessing pitch is unlimited. In this case, a support rail must be provided to support the template and insert it into the thicknesser. It can also be used on mixed planing / thicknessing machines in the same way.

[0015] Furthermore, the planing machine is one of the most dangerous tools. The thicknessing machine is one of the safest. Therefore, since the planing machine is no longer necessary, safety in carpentry work is increased, especially because the entire machining process is performed without the operator's hands coming into contact with the workpieces.

[0016] Consequently, it is a highly versatile tool that offers improvements in productivity, cost reduction, time savings, transport, storage, universality, versatility, and safety. To this end, the woodworking jig consists of a sheet metal with a main face that has a flange on one side, preferably adjustable in height depending on the thickness of the workpieces to be machined. The main face has a series of holes, substantially perpendicular to its surface, distributed throughout the main face. These holes accommodate pins that move through the holes and lock them in position. This allows the workpiece or pieces to be held at a certain distance from the main face at a series of points, making the support especially stable.

[0017] The nails can be moved by gravity, a spring system, a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit, or manually.

[0018] In a first embodiment, the nails are locked by rubber protrusions in a hydraulic, pneumatic, or spring-loaded circuit. The protrusions act as plungers that are pushed by pressure against the nails. It should be noted that "rubber" is any resistant material that generates high friction. In another embodiment, the nails are locked by rubber protrusions actuated by a latch common to several nails.

[0019] To facilitate nail placement, it's advisable to combine the plate with a cap, fixed parallel to the main face at a predetermined distance. This distance must be equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the workpiece to ensure a precise fit of the mold.

[0020] Ideally, the cover has a main surface with holes through which movable nails emerge and lock into position. In other words, it has a mechanism identical to the iron.

[0021] The griddle or lid may have handles to make it easier to handle, store, and transport.

[0022] Other variations will be described in the rest of the report.

[0023] EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] To complete the description being provided and to aid in a better understanding of the features of the invention, several figures are attached to this specification as an integral part thereof, in which the following are represented, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes. Figure 1 corresponds to a perspective view of an example of an iron. One of the latches is extended to the release position.

[0025] Figure 2 corresponds to a side view of an example of a plate and lid embracing the piece of wood.

[0026] Figure 3 shows a side view of an example of a plate and lid embracing several pieces of wood.

[0027] Figure 4 shows a side view of an example of a plate and lid embracing several pieces of wood to work an edge.

[0028] Figure 5 corresponds to a perspective view of a piece of wood arranged horizontally and across the board.

[0029] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION.

[0030] An embodiment is described below which will serve as an example for understanding the invention.

[0031] The template of the invention starts from a plate (1 ) of a width suitable for the thicknesser for which it is intended, which has a maximum size of the piece (P) to be worked established. Normally, the plate (1 ) has a rectangular base. The plate (1 ) preferably has a rim (2) adjustable in height and capable of being hidden inside the pancha, located on one side of the main face (3), generally a smaller side, which serves as a locking and safety mechanism by acting as a stop for the piece (P) of wood when the plate (1 ) is dragged by the thicknesser, preventing the movement of the pieces and their expulsion from the plate in the direction of planing as they pass through the thicknesser.

[0032] The surface of the main face (3) has a series of nails (4) that move in a direction perpendicular to said main face (3). The nails (4) can be partially extracted from the main face (3) and have a flat tip equal to the diameter of the nail, with one or several small pointed projections in its center or around its diameter to minimally penetrate the wood and thus ensure that it is perfectly attached to the main face. This achieves a block movement with the board (1), avoiding independent movements of the piece (P) and the board (1) when they are dragged by the action of the thicknesser. It serves as an added security mechanism by preventing movements of the piece (P) that are not due to the mechanical drag of the thicknesser.

[0033] This system allows different pieces (P) of wood of different thicknesses, widths and lengths to be planed simultaneously with the same template as will be seen later in its use. The small incisions that have been made by penetrating these points are of minimum depth and will disappear in their first pass through the thicknesser in the subsequent thicknessing process, leaving the wood perfect and without marks. The protruding length of each nail (4) is independent of the others and, preferably, they can be hidden inside the board (1 ) in the most collected position, leaving the surface of the board (1 ) completely flat.

[0034] The nails (4) can be distributed in rows and columns across the entire surface of the main face (3), or in staggered rows, so that the nails (4) of one row are arranged between the nails (4) of the two adjacent rows (sometimes called “staggered”).

[0035] A mechanism is required to secure the nails (4) in the position of use. For example, the nails (4) may be loose in their respective holes, without being able to be completely extracted. For example, because their inserted end has a larger diameter than the hole. Thus, each nail (4) is freely mobile in its hole. The nails (4) require a latch (5) that can move between a free position, away from the nails (4), and another locked position in which it rubs against them to prevent movement. For example, the latch (5) can have a straight shape, parallel to the row of nails (4), with a series of projections on one or two sides that rub against the nails (4) of one or two rows in the locked position. These projections can be made of rubber. In another solution, the latch (5) is hydraulic, pneumatic or spring-loaded and the rubber projections are pushed against the nails (4) by the pressure of an adjacent chamber.

[0036] The board (1 ) is complemented by a cover (6) that is ideally identical to the board, configured to be arranged and fixed parallel on the main face (3) of the latter and at a certain distance. This distance may be equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the pieces (P) of wood for which the board (1 ) is configured (which also depends on the thicknesser). The cover (6) is pressed against the board (1 ) by means of a tightening system, such as a thread or a lockable rail guide that adjusts one board against another, adjustable in height, for a perfect and parallel mold. These threads can be removed for better storage and especially when inserting the board into the thicknesser. The cover (6) may have its own legs or edges to keep it in position. The cover (6) can be the same as the board (1 ), with its corresponding nails (4) and latches (5).

[0037] It should be noted that the plates (1 ) can be coupled together, one next to or one after the other. This allows the plate (1 ) to be extended to make it longer or wider by joining them together using a lockable slot type joining system in their thickness. This allows us to work with larger pieces up to the maximum dimension of this joint or joints depending on the number of plates joined.

[0038] In use, and for best performance, the cover (6) is placed over the pieces (P) and the plate (1 ), locking it in such a way that the plate and the cover are blocked and parallel, embracing the pieces, with the respective nails (4) facing each other. Next, the nails of the cover (6) are released so that they are positioned until they meet the pieces (P), and are then fixed in position by the latch (5). In this way we achieve that, if the piece to be machined does not occupy the entire plate (1 ), the nails of the cover (6) prevent those of the plate (1 ) from protruding from the piece (P) to be worked on in the following step.

[0039] The board (1) is then placed upside down on the pieces and the lid (6), releasing its nails (4) to lock them once they have found the pieces in their shape, in their freedom of movement. The nails (4) that have come into contact with the nails of the lid (6) will not exceed the maximum thickness of the piece to be worked in any case. In this way, the thicknesser will not cut the nails as it passes through the piece, with the blades only making contact with the piece of wood to be planed, thus achieving maximum safety in this process. For most uses, an effective nail length of 5 cm is sufficient. The removable rim of the lid must be housed inside its compartment without protruding.

[0040] Finally, the assembly is turned over and the cover (6) is removed. The piece (P) is placed at a distance above the main face (3) and with the upper face of the piece (P) in a horizontal position, although not flat. The assembly of plate (1) and pieces (P) can pass through the thicknesser for planing. This creates the first flat face that will serve as a support in the subsequent traditional thicknessing. This would be the fastest way to prepare the assembly and hide the nails (4) so ​​that they do not protrude from the pieces to be machined. The nails (4) come out by gravity when the assembly is turned over.

[0041] Using the spring system built into each nail (4), they would come out when the latch (5) is released, hitting the piece to be machined. They would then be locked again by said latch (5).

[0042] There is another mechanism, incorporated into each nail (4), which makes it manually lockable so that it does not come out of its hole, consisting of a notch that when manually turning the nail (4) with a screwdriver or wrench type instrument makes that nail remain inside its hole, for example by means of a bayonet system with different anchor points.

[0043] All of these systems are compatible with each other, giving the template great versatility.

[0044] It follows, in effect, that with a spring system, there's no need to use the lid and turn the assembly over, since gravity isn't required to adapt the shape of the wood by turning the assembly over. The same applies to a pneumatic or hydraulic system.

[0045] Consequently, these procedures have created a mould that perfectly adopts and copies the entire surface of the pieces by means of a multitude of support points (nails) that copy the image of the pieces, regardless of their shape, relief or profile, so that when it passes through the thicknesser the flat face of the plate is projected identically onto the pieces, achieving a perfectly flat planing.

[0046] It is a simple and short operation, only a few seconds are needed for its preparation and the possibilities of planing several pieces is maximum. When there is more than one piece (P), it is convenient that the first pieces (P) in the direction of the planing rest on the edge (2) being sufficient that the others are placed one after the other, ensuring that there are no spaces between them so that the drag of the thicknesser rollers is constant and thus avoid notches in the pieces, achieving a perfect finish. If several sheets are joined, the pieces that are placed on the subsequent joined sheet can begin planing in contact with the preceding pieces of the previous sheet or resting in contact with the removable edge of their own sheet.

[0047] It should be noted that, as each nail (4) is independent, when several pieces (P) are worked in parallel (Figure 3), each one can be of a different thickness. In this case, the process is reversed. First, the pieces are placed on the lid and covered with the plate, releasing the nails from it and locking it with the latch. The assembly is turned over so that the plate is at the bottom and the lid is on top, thus ensuring that all the pieces to be machined, regardless of their thickness, are at the same height for passage through the thicknesser. In this way, all the pieces are planed at the same time in a single pass through the thicknesser, saving exponential time depending on the number of pieces placed on the plate.

[0048] This cover (6) and plate (1) assembly can be used for edging even before the flat surfaces are created. To do this, a cover (6) with nails (4), similar to the plate (1), must be used and the nails (4) of both must be locked using the procedure described above. In this way, the piece (P) is arranged horizontally and lengthwise, squeezed between the two elements since the nails (4) of both have the necessary length and are locked in position. If the piece has been arranged so that one edge of the piece (P) protrudes, an edge can be created on that piece. This can be seen in figure 4.

[0049] For greater efficiency in edging, the jig offers the option of positioning the piece of wood horizontally and width-wise, so that the nails in the plank match the thickness of the piece and the thicknesser performs the edging of the piece. This way, the template's dimensions are maximized and it is possible to edge many pieces of different widths, lengths, and thicknesses in a single process, saving an incredible amount of time with maximum safety, as the operator's hands are never in contact with the workpieces to be machined. Here, the pieces can be held width-wise by clamping them between two lengths attached to the jig or using another effective clamping system.

[0050] This can be seen in Figure 5.

[0051] In a simpler but more laborious solution, the part (P) is held in place by nails (4) whose length is manually adjusted. For example, the nails (4) are mounted on threads and their length is varied by turning. The nails (4) can be turned when the part (P) is in position using a hexagonal flange that can be turned with a wrench, screwdriver or similar.

Claims

CLAIMS 1- Carpentry template, formed by a plate (1) with a main face (3) that has a rim (2) on one side, the main face (3) having a series of holes, perpendicular distributed throughout the main face (3), where two nails (4) are arranged, mobile through the hole and locked in position. 2- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that the nails (4) are blocked by rubber protrusions in a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit. 3- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that the nails (4) are blocked by rubber projections actuated by a latch (5) common to several nails (4). 4- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a cover (6) fixed parallel to the main face (3) at a predetermined distance. 5- Carpentry template, according to claim 4, characterized in that the cover (6) comprises a main face (3) with holes through which mobile nails (4) emerge through the corresponding holes and lock them in position. 6- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that the holes are distributed in rows and columns. 7- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that the nails (4) are mounted on springs. 8- Carpentry template, according to claim 1, characterized in that each nail (4) is finished in a notch and comprises a bayonet locking system.

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