Background to the Invention Tools such as a woodworking plane require a sharp blade for an effective cutting action. When the tool is not in use, to prevent damage to the cutting edge of the blade, the tool is usually placed on its side on the bench or other work surface etc. until required for use later. The unshielded blade is thus exposed and represents a potential danger. This is particularly so for electric planes which can be more readily activated simply by the press of a start button.

Of course, one solution is to place the plane in a secure container until required for use. However, there are at least two disadvantages to this solution. The first is that the sharp blade is still effectively exposed and there thus remains the potential for a skin cut as the plane is removed from the container; and the second is simply the inconvenience of having to continually take the plane in and out of the container during the period of use.

Prior art attempts to ameliorate this danger include the devices disclosed in US 6205668 and DE 29910926.

US 6205668 describes a protective cover for a hand plane. This cover relies on friction to retain the cover in place as opposing side walls resiliently engage the base plate of the hand plane. Such a cover is unlikely to be too effective for an electric plane because an electric plane is easier to activate (by the press of a button) and thus easier to place the blade in a cutting position which could bear on the upper surface of a protective cover of the type disclosed in US 6205668 which could then be forced off the base plate and therefore exposing the cutting blade.

DE 29910926 discloses a protective guard for an electric plane. This guard is permanently affixed to the plane, is of two pieces-each of a curved section - and is tensioned to rotate between two positions. It is considered that such a guard (1) is overly complicated in its construction, and thus relatively expensive to manufacture; (2) adds to the bulk and thus overall weight of the plane, a weight which has to be borne by the user of the plane whether the blade is required to be protected or not; and (3) cannot readily be transferred to another plane should that be necessary.

It is thus a general object of the present invention to overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a guard for the cutting portion of a blade of an electric plane, said plane of the type having a base through which at least said cutting portion of said blade can protrude when said plane is in operation and a body to house an electric motor to operate said blade, said guard including : a plate ; a first arm extending from said plate adapted to releasably engage said body; and a second arm extending from said plate adapted to releasably engage said body; wherein, when said first arm and said second arm are in engagement with said body, said plate covers said cutting portion of said blade.

Preferably, said first arm and said second arm resiliently engage said body.

More preferably, when said first arm and said second arm are in resilient engagement with said body, said plate is also held in tension against said base.

Preferably, said first arm and said second arm each include a protrusion at or near their respective free ends which engage said body.

Preferably, each of said protrusion engages a recess on said body.

Preferably, said recess is located at a fixture point of said body.

Preferably said first arm and said second arm are integral with said plate.

Preferably, said plate, said first arm and said second arm are each manufactured from a plastics material.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a guard constructed in accordance with the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective illustration of the guard of FIG. 1 attached to a plane.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the FIG. 1, the guard (1) comprises a base plate (2). The respective end portions (3,4) of the base plate (2) are bent upwards.

Extending from one side edge (5) of the base plate (2) is a first arm (6).

Adjacent the free end (7) of the first arm (6) there is a protrusion (8) which extends inwards. A second arm (9), complementary in shape to the first arm (6), extends from the opposite side edge (10) of the base plate (2) at a position substantially opposite to the first arm (6). The free end (11) of the second arm (9) terminates in a protrusion (12) which extends inwards. The side edges (5,10) include respective finger/thumb cutouts (13,14) positioned adjacent the side arms (6,9). The base plate (2) and side arms (6,9) are manufactured as an integral unit with the side arms (6,9) being flexible in the direction A-A'.

In use (FIG. 2), the side arm (6) is flexed in the direction A as the side arm (9) is flexed in the direction A'as the base plate (2) is pushed upwards over the lower surface (15) of a plane (16). The plane (16) is of the type whereby the body comprises two substantially symmetrical halves which are screwed together. The protrusions (8,12) thus ride up the respective sides (17,18) of the plane (16) to engage indents (19,20) on the outer casing of the body of the plane (16). The indents (19,20) are the countersunk depressions on the outer surfaces of the two halves of the body which accommodate the fixture screws, intended to enable the screw heads to be flush with the respective outer surface of the body of the plane. The dimensions and flexibility of the arms (6,9) and end portions (3,4) are such that, when in position as depicted in FIG. 2, the guard (1) is held in tension against the lower surface (15) of the plane (16), the base plate (2) covering the exposed cutting portion of the plane blade (21).

To release the guard (1) from the plane (16), an operator places a thumb and finger in the respective cutouts (13,14) and pulls downward to disengage the protrusions (8,12) from their respective indents (19,20).

The present invention thus provides an inexpensive clip-on guard which can be readily attached to an electric plane to cover the exposed blade but can simply be removed when necessary. Further, in a preferred form, the guard is held in position not only by resilient engagement with the body of the guard but also in tension against the base of the plane, thus providing a more secure attachment for the guard.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiment is only an exemplification of the various aspects of the present invention and that modifications and alterations can be made thereto without departing from the inventive concept as defined in the following claims.