TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to supports for cutting tools.

Professional and hobby wood turners use a variety of tools, including gouge tools, parting tools, chisels and scrapers. The tools can be used for shaping the outer surfaces of a work piece spun in a lathe, for cutting the work piece, and for boring out or hollowing out the centre or inside of a work piece to form circular cavities.

BACKGROUND ART

At various times during wood turning large forces are transferred from the blade of a cutting tip back to a tool rest which is set up alongside the work piece and provides support for the blade of a cutting tool. Conventionally the tool rest provides an elongate ledge and it is set up in a position substantially parallel to a spinning work piece. The wood turner uses his strength and judgement to manipulate the tool to produce the desired cuts and shape in the spinning work piece. Because the work piece is rotating the cutting tool if not adequately restrained tends to tilt from the horizontal in sympathy with the direction of rotation of the work piece and in addition forces are produced on the longitudinal axis of the spinning work piece. These forces are particularly accentuated when a tool is used to remove a centre section of a work piece when a long overhanging of the tool rest by the tool occurs generating large leverage forces.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool support for supporting a cutting blade during aspects of wood turning which assists

the operator to overcome reactive forces and which allows for adjustments to the tilt and arc of the cutting blade.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

PTS|CT.OSTTRE OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a tool support comprising a support body having a first limb and a second limb the first limb having mounting means by which the body can be secured to a tool rest and for mounting a tool gate, the second limb extending from the first limb and providing a crossbar the arrangement and construction being such that the blade of a wood turner's tool can be secured by the gate and cross bar providing restraint against movement in opposite vertical planes whilst allowing swivelling movement on a substantially horizontal plane.

Portions of the mounting means can be cylindrical and extend from either side of the first limb, one of said portions being engageable with a complementary tool rest and another mounting to tool gate in such a manner that the tool support is free to rotate relative to the rest, and likewise the gate is free to rotate relative to the mounting means.

It is envisaged that the gate and tool support may be integral and swivel together.

The support body can be substantially L-shaped and the cross bar of the second limb can be provided with one or more downwardly depending stops which can be used to limit arcuate movement of the blade of a

cutting tool relative to the tool gate.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a tool support as aforesaid in combination with a tool gate which can provide a tool blade rest surface and lateral restraint for a tool blade.

The tool blade rest surface can be of variable height.

The tool gate can have a substantially cylindrical body and the tool blade rest surface mounts a plurality of spaced and upright tool blade restraints.

The tool blade rest surface can mount two or more spaced restraints.

The tool blade rest surface of the tool gate can be stepped.

The tool blade rest surface can be provided with one or more blade- accommodating channels.

The channels can be in a cross formation when viewed from above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tool support in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention, and

Figure 2-5 are perspective views of a tool support in accordance with Figure 1 in combination with tool gates during a wood turning operation.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of a work piece, support and

T/NZ97/00070

cutting tool during a wood turning operation.

BEST MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With respect to the drawings the present invention provides a tool support generally indicated by arrow 1 having first and second limbs 2, 3 respectively and mounting means generally indicated by arrow 4 by which the body can be supported with respect to a tool rest and for mounting a so called tool gate generally indicated by arrow 5.

The second limb 3 which extends from the first limb 2 is provided by a cross bar 6 the arrangement and construction being such that the blade 7 of a wood turning tool generally indicated by arrow 8 (see Figure 6) can be restrained by a gate 5 and the cross bar 6 against movement in opposite vertical planes.

The mounting means 4 may be a two part or single cylindrical member which extends to either side of the first limb 2 and is engageable with complementary tool rest aperture 9 and a gate 5 in such a manner that the tool support is free to rotate relative to the rest, likewise the gate is free to rotate relative to the mounting means.

The tool support body can be a substantially L-shaped member and the cross bar 6 of the second limb is provided with one or more downwardly depending stops which limit arcuate movement of the blade 7 of a cutting tool relative to a tool gate 5 mounted on the mounting means 4. This arrangement provides two inverted U-shaped arches within which a tool blade can be manoeuvred. Clearly such arches could be provided by equivalent structures other than that illustrated.

The tool support can be used in combination with a number of different

kinds of tool gates 5 such as is illustrated by Figures 2 through to 5 of the drawings.

Each tool gate 5 provides a tool blade rest surface or surfaces 11 and lateral restraint for a tool blade. As can be seen from the examples illustrated the tool blade rest surface 11 can be of a variable height.

The tool blade rest surface can mount a plurality of spaced upright tool blade restraints.

In Figure 2 of the drawings tool blade restraint is provided by the rest surface 11 and two opposed uprights 12 which have curved inner faces 13.

In Figure 3 four upright restraints are provided. When the tool gate illustrated is viewed from above, a pair of intersecting channels 15 each with curved inner surfaces provide alternative slots for the tool blade with one of the channels being deeper than the other. This configuration provides for the use of blades of different depth and height.

In Figure 4 the tool gate 5 comprises a cylindrical body 16 and from the rest surface 11 extends to pins 17. It is noted that the two pins 17 are spaced wider than the channels of the embodiments illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 and this arrangement provides for the restraint of a wider bodied tool blade although with the pins closer together narrower tools can be used.

In Figure 5 the tool gate 5 has a cylindrical body 18 and the rest surface 11 is stepped and provides a higher level 19 and a lower level 20. Three upright cylindrical pins 21 extend from the rest surface 11 and two of the pins are positioned in the step between the lower and higher levels of the rest surface. Again this provides a variation in height for the tool blade.

Pins 21 can be fixed or attached to the rest surface 11 in a manner which enables them to freely rotate.

It is to be appreciated that the present invention and the embodiments disclosed provide means for restraint against the tilting of the cutting tool during wood turning and also provide restraint against forced swivelling movements as a result of moving the tool in a longitudinal direction with respect to the work piece and other forces which are generated.

There are many advantages of the tool support and its combination with tool gates as described herein including:

(a) The structure absorbs forces generated during wood turning and de-emphasises the leverage forces generated across the tool rest which occur when traditional tooling set-ups are used.

(b) The structure provides increased scope for creative techniques particularly when arcuate blades are used.

(c) Compared with traditional methods the structure enables increased penetration of tools into a work piece.

(d) The structure increases the level of safety to an operator.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.