Woodworking Clamp Bridge for Clean Glue Joints and Staining
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Solution Overview
Problem
When joining wood boards using glue or adhesive, the clamping process in the vertical direction often results in glue oozing out and being pressed into the pores of the wood, making it difficult to stain the wood after the adhesive has cured.
Innovation Solution
A woodworking bridge that spans the abutment or edge butt joint, preventing glue from being pressed into the pores of the wood by positioning the clamp above the joint, allowing the glue to dry and be easily removed or sanded away.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a clamp is used to apply vertical clamping force at the joint, then the boards are kept level and square during glue curing, but the clamp contacts the glue and presses it into the wood pores
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bridge as an intermediary component between the clamp and the joint. The bridge has a top surface that contacts the clamp and a bottom surface with a recess that spans the joint without contacting the glue. This intermediary structure allows the clamp to apply vertical clamping force while preventing direct contact between the clamp and the glue, thereby preventing glue from being pressed into the wood pores.
2Force
If the clamp directly contacts the joint to apply clamping force, then the clamping force is effectively applied, but the glue is squeezed out and pressed into the top and bottom surfaces of the wood
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge serves as a mediator that transmits the clamping force from the clamp to the boards while preventing glue contamination. The top surface of the bridge contacts the clamp to receive the clamping force, while the bottom surface with its recessed configuration spans the joint without contacting the glue, thus transmitting force without causing glue to be pressed into the wood pores.
3Strength
If glue is pressed into the wood pores during clamping, then the joint is secured, but the wood surface becomes difficult to stain after curing
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge prevents glue from being pressed into the wood pores while still allowing effective joint bonding. By spanning the joint without contacting the glue, the bridge ensures that glue remains at the joint interface where it provides bonding strength, while preventing glue migration to the top and bottom surfaces where it would interfere with subsequent staining operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A woodworking bridge has two base walls or components that enable the bridge to span an abutment or joint between two work pieces. A top surface enables a clamp to engage the bridge to permit the clamp to apply a clamping force to a first work piece and a second work piece on both sides of the joint and prevent the clamp from contacting the joint. This allows any adhesive that oozes from the joint to be cleaned without curing in the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the two work pieces. The work pieces may then be stained without any cured adhesive in the pores of the work pieces where stain is applied.