Crown Molding Cutting Jig for Right-Side-Up Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cutting crown molding with conventional mitre-type cutting tools requires the work piece to be positioned upside down and reversed, leading to confusion and material waste due to the complexity of achieving the correct angled orientation.
Innovation Solution
A work piece support plate pivotably attached to a base, allowing the work piece to be positioned at a desired tilt angle parallel to the intersection of horizontal and vertical reference planes, facilitating cutting in the same orientation as the final installation, with a releasable retaining arrangement and gage members for precise angle determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If crown molding is cut using a conventional mitre saw with standard table and fence arrangement, then the cutting can be performed with typical equipment, but the work piece must be positioned upside down and reversed which causes confusion and material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by allowing the crown molding to be positioned in its final installed orientation (right-side up) during cutting, rather than requiring it to be positioned upside down and reversed. This is achieved through a specialized support apparatus that tilts the work piece at the appropriate angle while maintaining proper orientation, eliminating the confusion and errors associated with traditional positioning methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a support apparatus as an intermediary between the conventional mitre saw and the crown molding. This apparatus includes a support plate that tilts at a predetermined angle and provides a fence with positioning features, serving as a mediator that enables proper positioning without requiring the work piece to be inverted or reversed on the standard saw table
2Ease of operation
If crown molding is positioned in the correct installation orientation during cutting, then the cutting process becomes more intuitive and less error-prone, but additional positioning apparatus is required
Solution Approach 1:
The support apparatus is segmented into distinct functional components: a base that interfaces with the mitre saw table, a support plate that tilts at a predetermined angle to match the crown molding installation angle, and a fence assembly with positioning features. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while keeping the overall apparatus relatively simple and easy to set up
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus utilizes a predetermined tilt angle parameter that matches the standard crown molding installation angle. By building this angle into the support plate's geometry, the system automatically provides the correct positioning without requiring complex adjustments or calculations by the operator, thus maintaining simplicity while improving ease of operation
3Manufacturing precision
If precise compound angle cutting is performed on conventional mitre saws, then accurate fits at corners can be achieved, but considerable material and time are wasted due to positioning mistakes
Solution Approach 1:
The support apparatus is pre-configured with the correct tilt angle and fence positioning features before the cutting operation begins. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for operators to perform complex calculations or make repeated adjustments during the cutting process, thereby reducing both time loss and positioning mistakes while maintaining high precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical adjustment system required on conventional mitre saws with a predetermined geometric solution. The support plate's fixed tilt angle and the fence's built-in positioning features substitute for the need for operators to manually calculate and adjust multiple angles, thereby improving precision while reducing the time and complexity of the positioning process
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus are provided, for positioning a work piece, such as a piece of crown molding, through use of an apparatus including a work piece support plate pivotably attached along a pivot axis to a base. The base is adapted to rest on a horizontal reference plane, such as the table of a meter saw, for pivoting motion of the support plate about the pivot axis to a desired angle with respect to the base, while the pivot axis is simultaneously positioned to extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal line of intersection between a horizontal and a vertical reference plane, established by the table and fence of the meter saw, to hold the work piece at a desired tilt angle with respect to the vertical reference plane, so that the work piece may be cut in substantially the same orientation as it will be mounted.