Shop support stand

[0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/104,370, filed Jun. 25, 1998 now abandoned, which is in turn a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/231/769, filed Apr. 25, 1994, now abandoned, both of which are herein incorporated by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to a shop support stand for supporting a workpiece, such as a piece of wood, as it overhangs and moves relative to a piece of work equipment, such as a tablesaw, radial arm saw, planer, etc., that is performing a work operation on the workpiece.

[0004] A piece of work equipment, such as a table saw, milling machine, planer, etc., is often used to perform work operations on unwieldy workpieces that are of a dimension larger than any support table or structure that is integral with the work equipment. Hence a portion of the workpiece overhangs the work equipment, and this portion can change as the workpiece is moved toward or away from the work equipment as the work operation progresses. It is often advantageous to additionally support the workpiece as it moves toward or away from a piece of work equipment, as the overhanging portion of the workpiece can exert considerable leverage and interfere with the work operation, such as by causing a saw to cut less accurately, or by causing the workpiece to bind against the saw, etc.

[0005] Known in the art are cylindrical and roller ball type shop support stands for supporting workpieces. These support stands are typically located a selected distance away from the work equipment so as to receive and support the overhanging portion of the workpiece. These known shop support stands have drawbacks.

[0006] For example, cylindrical rollers can run the workpiece off to one side if the centerline of the cylinder is not exactly perpendicular to the direction of movement of the workpiece. This can be a particular problem when the support stand is separate from the work equipment, such that the perpendicularity of the cylinder axis cannot by constantly assured via the fixed mounting the cylinder to the piece of work equipment. Maintaining perpendicularity can be even more of the problem due to the side bumping of the roller by the workpiece.

[0007] Ball rollers also have disadvantages. For example, a narrow workpiece can fall between the balls, rendering the ball roller stand virtually worthless for supporting the workpiece.

[0008] In addition, often the weight of the portion of the workpiece that overhangs the work equipment causes an end of the workpiece to drop. Cylindrical and ball roller support stands can deal with very little drop before the workpiece, as it moves away from the work equipment, simply hits the stand instead of riding up over the ball rollers or the cylindrical roller, and tends to knock the stand over. For example, a typical cylinder of a cylinder roller stand has a 2″ diameter, such that the workpiece can only drop 1″ between the work equipment and the stand before it hits the center of the cylinder and tends to push the stand rather than roll over the roller. Ball rollers typically allow even less drop. Often the stand must be properly positioned relative to the work equipment each time before a new type of workpiece is worked on to ensure that the workpiece does not drop too much before reaching the stand. Often, if the drop is to be large, for instance when the workpiece is long and flexible and is to be sawn along its length, the stand must be moved fairly close to the work equipment, and a second stand used to support and portion of the workpiece that over hangs the first stand. A third stand can even be required.

[0009] Shop support stands that combine a sloped portion having a single slope and cylindrical or ball rollers are also known. While these stands can accommodate a larger drop than the cylindrical roller or ball rollers alone, they typically retain one or more of the aforementioned other disadvantages of ball and cylindrical rollers, Furthermore, the sloped portion, having a single slope, is limited in the amount of drop that can be accommodated without the stand becoming fairly large. Also, the workpiece contacts the top of the sloped portion essentially along a line, which can lead to excessive pressure and hence wear on the sloped portion of any low friction coating applied thereto, as well as increased resistance to the movement of the workpiece.

[0010] Finally, known shop stands can include a considerable number of parts and can be unduly expensive and complicated.

[0011] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art.

[0012] According to the invention, there is provided a shop support stand for slidingly supporting a generally horizontally moving workpiece, such a length of wood, at a preselected height as a work operation, such as sawing, routing, milling or planing, is performed on the workpiece. The shop support stand can receive a moving dropped end of the workpiece and ramp the dropped end to the preselected height. The shop support stand includes a base and a ramp having a convex surface. The ramp mounts with the base, and the convex surface includes an upper portion for slidingly supporting the workpiece at the preselected height and a lower portion for slidingly ramping the dropped end of the workpiece to the upper portion.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a shop support stand according to the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a shop support stand according to the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the shop support stand of FIG. 2 with the legs folded and the ramp placed between the one of the legs and the post.

[0016] FIG. 3B is elevational view of the shop support stand of FIG. 3A.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom end of the pair of legs of the base of the shop support stand of FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, illustrating a slot in one legs and a locking clip coupled to the other leg.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a shop support stand 10 according to the present invention. The shop support stand 10 includes a base 12 and a ramp 14 mounted with the base 12 for slidingly supporting a workpiece, such as a length of wood, at a preselected height as the workpiece moves generally in the horizontal direction, as indicated by reference numeral 16. The workpiece typically moves in the direction 16 as work operations, such as sawing, routing, milling or planing, are performed on the workpiece.

[0019] The ramp 14 includes a convex and preferably slippery surface 18. The surface 18 includes an upper portion 20 for slidingly supporting the workpiece at the preselected height and a lower portion 22 for slidingly ramping a dropped end of the workpiece to the upper portion 20 so as to support the workpiece at the preselected height as the workpiece moves in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the post 32 mount with the ramp 14 at a location adjacent the upper portion 20 of the ramp 14.

[0020] The slippery surface 18 of the ramp 14 allows the workpiece not only to slide perpendicular to the ramp surface 14, that is, in the direction indicated by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1, but also parallel, i.e. sideways, so as to prevent any forced misalignment of the workpiece.

[0021] The ramp 14 can be pivotably mounted with the base 12 by a pivot mechanism 26. Pivoting the ramp 14 allows the ramp angle to be adjusted, which can be necessary to compensate for various characteristics of the workpiece and/or uneven ground surfaces on which the base 12 is placed. When supporting a workpiece, the ramp 14 should be relatively fixed relative to the vertical axis of the base 12, such as by tightening the pivoting mechanism 26, so as to maintain the proper orientation of ramp 14 to the workpiece, though precise orientation is typically not critical to the function of the invention. The ramp 14 could be secured to the base 12 by clamping or pinning.

[0022] Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the ramp is mounted relative to the base 12 such that the upper portion 20 of the ramp 14 can provide an area that is substantially flat so as to have little or no slope in the vertical direction relative to the horizontal direction for more broadly supporting the workpiece. With continuing reference to FIG. 1, the lower portion 22 of the ramp has a steeper slope in the vertical direction relative to the horizontal direction than the upper portion 20 for ramping the workpiece up to the upper portion 20 and reducing the overall size of the ramp 14.

[0023] The ramp can include a plastic for providing the slippery surface 18. One plastic found to be suitable is a high molecular weight polyethylene plastic. In one preferred embodiment, the ramp 14 includes a sheet of high molecular weight polyethylene plastic adhered to a convex metal frame. The plastic can be the ultra high molecular weight polyethylene available from Can-Do National Tape, Inc., P.O. Box 40366, Nashville Tenn. 37204. This plastic is available as a sheet having a thickness in the range of 20-30 thousandths of an inch, and with a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side of the plastic sheet, which can be used to adhere the plastic to the metal frame.

[0024] The convex surface 18 can be defined by a single radius of curvature or by more than one radius of curvature. In one embodiment of the invention, the upper portion 20 of the surface 18 is defined by a radius of curvature of approximately 6″, and the lower portion 22 of the surface 18 is defined by a radius of curvature of approximately 12″.

[0025] The base 12 shown in FIG. 1 is a collapsible, telescoping tripod base that, while not essential to the operation of the present invention, is considered to enhance the utility thereof. The three legs 28 provide a stable platform, and the legs fold up such that shop support stand 10 can be easily and compactly transported as well as be lightweight and easily adjusted. This base is considered to be advantageous over a conventional four-legged bases, which can be unduly heavy and which can rock under load. The post 32 slidingly engages the locking mechanism 34 such that the vertical height of the ramp 14 can be adjusted and set for varying the preselected height at which the work piece is supported.

[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the base 12 includes a pair of extended legs 28, each having a foot member 36, and a post 32 having the ramp 14 mounted at one end thereof. Each foot member 36 generally extends transversely to the leg 28 to which it is attached. The legs 28 are pivotably coupled together at the first end 40 of the pair, such as by the plate and pins 42, and the end 40 slidingly receives the other end of the post 32, such as by the tube and set screw assembly 44. For storing or transporting the shop support stand, the legs 28 can be folded such that the legs 28 and the post 32 are substantially parallel, and the ramp 14 can be removed from the end of the post 32, the post 32 slid downward, and the ramp 14 secured between the post 32 and one of the legs 28, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3A and the elevational view of FIG. 3B. The backside 46 of the ramp 14 mounts a pair of ramp clips 48 having retaining ends 50, which are generally directed out of the page in the case of FIG. 3B, for engaging the post 32 so as to more securely hold the ramp 14 between the post 32 and one of the legs 28. The ramp 14 also includes a socket 54 for slidingly receiving the top of the post 32 for mounting the ramp 14 with the base 12. The socket can include triangular brackets 56 for securing the post to the underside 46 of the ramp 14 and for engaging the side of the post 32, as shown in FIG. 3A so as to, in cooperation with the ramp clips 48, securing the ramp 14 between the post 32 and one of the legs 28.

[0027] Note that the shop support stand 10 can stand upright when the legs 28 are folded and the ramp 14 is between said post 32 and one of the legs 28, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, one of the legs 28 can include a locking clip 60 for engaging the other of the legs 28 for securing the legs 28 together when the pair of legs is folded as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The other of the legs 28 can define a slot 62 for receiving the locking clip 60 for facilitating the securing of the legs 28 in the folded position.

[0029] The pair of legs 28, including the foot elements 36 and the plate and pins 42 and the tube and set screw assembly 44, shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, are available from Crawford Products Inc., 301 Winter Street, West Hanover, Mass. 02339-0702. The locking clip can be fabricated by modifying the model 2-C clip available from Arthur I. Platt Co., 160 Rock Lane, Milford, Conn. 06460.

[0030] The post 32 and socket 54 can be fabricated from carbon steel square tube. For example, the post 32 can be 1″×16 gage square tube and the socket 54 can be 1¼″×11 gage square tube. Such tube is known in the art and is available from a number of suppliers. Typically, the post and socket are plated with zinc.

[0031] According to the invention, in certain embodiments extensions can be provided for each side of the ramp for allowing the use of the shop support stand of the present invention with wider workpieces. If a narrower ramp is desired, the sides of the ramp, in certain embodiments, can be trimmed with a saw.

[0032] Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed above. However, it is to be understood that such embodiments are intended as illustrative of apparatus for practicing the invention and not as limiting. One of ordinary skill in the art, with knowledge of the teachings herein, can envision variations of the apparatus disclosed herein that encompass and accomplish the purpose of the invention and are considered within the scope thereof. For example, although a tripod base and the two-legged base are shown in the accompanying Figures, one could fashion many other functional bases, such as by appropriately affixing the ramp of the present invention to a sawhorse, though significant advantages of the tripod or the two-legged base maybe lost.