Folding Sawhorse Lateral Stability via Locking Shelf
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current folding sawhorses are unable to withstand sideways motion under load and often require two separate units for support, making them cumbersome and inefficient for storage and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A single folding sawhorse design featuring pivotally connected frames with stress-bearing structures forming a 60-degree angle, a U-shaped load-bearing support, and a trapezoidal locking shelf that distributes load evenly across four surfaces, allowing for lateral stability and easy folding for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If folding sawhorses are designed with legs positioned on a common side to enable folding for storage, then storage space requirements are reduced, but the sawhorses become unable to withstand sideways motion under load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning blockable portions on the legs and corresponding block receiving portions on the horizontal brace before the folding operation. During use, these pre-positioned features automatically engage to prevent lateral movement, and during folding, they can be disengaged. This allows the sawhorse to maintain lateral stability when needed while preserving folding capability for compact storage.
2Productivity
If a single folding sawhorse is designed to support loads, then storage efficiency improves, but the sawhorse requires complex structural features to withstand lateral movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the lateral movement prevention function into separate modular components: blockable portions on the legs and block receiving portions on the horizontal brace. This segmentation allows each component to be simple in design while collectively providing the complex function of lateral stability, enabling a single sawhorse to be both storage-efficient and structurally capable.
3Ease of operation
If folding sawhorses are designed to collapse for storage, then portability is enhanced, but the legs pivot with respect to the upper central member when under load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism consisting of the blockable portions and block receiving portions that act as mediators between the legs and the horizontal brace. These intermediaries prevent direct pivotal movement between the legs and the upper structure when under load, while still allowing the folding action to occur when the blocks are disengaged, thus maintaining both portability and structural rigidity.
Data Source
AI summary
A folding sawhorse created by two pivotally connected frames containing a plurality of stress bearing structures on their inner surfaces forms a 60 degree angle when locked in place by a locking shelf. The frame components include two parallel vertical members separated at a distance by an upper horizontal brace and parallel lower horizontal brace. A U-shaped load bearing support is connected to the upper surface of the upper horizontal braces and provides four surfaces across which a load may be distributed when the folding sawhorse is in use. The trapezoidal locking shelf is pivotally connected to the lower horizontal braces and contains a central hinge, allowing the shelf to fold when the sawhorse is collapsed along its central vertical hinge.