GB2443173A

GB2443173A - Support for holding a planar workpiece in an upright position

Info

Publication number: GB2443173A
Application number: GB0621522A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Hazlewood
Original assignee: PAUL ALAN WELHAM
Current assignee: PAUL ALAN WELHAM
Priority date: 2006-10-28
Filing date: 2006-10-28
Publication date: 2008-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-28
Also published as: GB2443173B; GB0621522D0

Abstract

A freestanding support 10 comprises a generally elongate footing having a recess 16 for holding a workpiece (22, fig 3) in an upright position. The recess has first and second sidewalls 26, 28, which are arranged to allow the workpiece to be secured by securing means, such as by a wedge 12. The first sidewall comprises a resilient layer configured to inhibit damage to the workpiece when secured in position. The second sidewall may be provided with a friction layer configured for mutual engagement with a corresponding friction layer on the wedge (such as complementary vertical ribs 40, 42). Preferably, the footing comprises longitudinal attachment means (64, 64', fig 4) for securing a plurality of similar supports to one another. Magnetic means 82, 82' may also be provided to secure a number of blocks together during transportation and storage. The support may be used to hold a planar item such as a door or kitchen worktop.

Description

1 2443173 Freestanding Support The present invention relates to a

freestanding support for a holding a workpiece in an upright position whilst being worked, and in particular, but not limited to, a support for holding a large generally planar workpiece such as a door or kitchen worktop in an upright position.

The issues associated with working on large generally planar workpieces such as doors and kitchen worktops are well known. Where the edges of the workpiece have to be worked, for example to provide hinge recesses on a door, or to plane a worktop, the workpiece has to be held in an upright position, preferably with the associated edge uppermost. However, the size of the workpiece, and often its weight, can result in a significant lack of stability when the Whilst there are several clamping devices available for assisting carpenters and joiners, most such devices are unsuitable for holding large workpieces such as doors and worktops in an upright position. Many clamping devices, for example work bench style clamps, are designed for use at the approximate waist height of a workman for convenience when working smaller pieces. Such devices are unsuitable for holding large workpieces in an upright position because such use results in the edge requiring working being too high to be practically Carpenters and joiners are known to overcome these issues by manufacturing a pair of freestanding supports from pieces of discarded wood, each support comprising an elongate footing having a transverse recess for receiving and holding the workpiece in an upright position. The workpiece is then secured in the recess using a wedge. In operation, each support is placed at an appropriate position along the length of the workpiece to provide stable support during working.

However, such supports tend to be bulky and heavy, taking up large amounts of storage space. Furthermore, the use of such supports requires a relatively high level of skill during use to ensure that the workpiece is held tightly enough that it cannot move during working, but not so tightly that it causes compression damage and/or scratching during insertion or removal of the wedge and while the piece is being worked on. Damage is a particular issue when working certain materials, such as UPVc, commonly used for the manufacture of doors.

While such supports are appropriate for those skilled enough to make and use them, they are not of particular benefit to less skilled users, for example, less experienced people engaged in DIY work.

The supports are also only of use for holding the workpiece, and have little additional utility.

Whilst this is not such an issue for those engaged in working such workpieces on a regular basis, the lack of additional utility make the supports less attractive to those wishing to use them for a single job, for example someone engaged in a DIY project.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved freestanding support suitable for holding a workpiece in an upright position whilst being worked, and in particular, but not limited to, a support for holding a large generally planar workpiece such as a door or kitchen worktop in an upright position.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a freestanding support for holding a workpiece in an upright position whilst being worked, the support comprising: a generally elongate footing having recess for holding said workpiece in said upright position; said recess having a first sidewall for aligning said workpiece, and a second sidewall; wherein said first and second sidewalls are arranged for allowing said workpiece to be secured therebetween by securing means; and wherein said first sidewall comprises a resilient layer configured to inhibit damage to said workpiece when said workpiece is secured in position.

Preferable features of the support are disclosed in dependent claims 1 to 11.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a kit comprising a support according to the first aspect.

Preferable features of the kit are disclosed in dependent claims 13 to 16.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures in which: Figure 1 shows a freestanding support according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a wedge for use with the support of figure 1; Figure 3 shows a partial view of the support of figure 1, in use, holding a workpiece in an upright position; and, Figure 4 shows a plan view of two similar supports, in use, holding a workpiece in an upright position.

In figures 1, to 4 a freestanding support for holding a workpiece in an upright position is shown generally at 10 and a wedge for securing a workpiece in the support is shown generally at 12. The support 10 may be manufactured of any suitable material but is preferably made from a lightweight material such as a moulded/injection moulded plastic or the like.

It will be appreciated that directional and orientational terms such as upper, lower, top, bottom, upwardly, downwardly, horizontal, vertical and the like are used throughout the description with reference to the orientation of the support during normal use on a planar horizontal surface.

The support 10 comprises a footing having the general shape of an elongate cuboid block having chamfered upper corners 14 at each longitudinal end. The footing 10 is provided with a workpiece recess 16, having a generally U' shaped cross-section, for receiving and holding a workpiece 22 in an upright position, as seen in figure 3, with an edge to be worked accessible, for example, uppermost.

The workpiece recess 16 extends across the transverse width of the footing 10 approximately at its longitudinal centre. The recess 16 includes a horizontal support surface 24, forming the base of the U', for supporting the workpiece 22 in the upright position in operation. The recess 16 further includes first and second upright surfaces 26,28, each extending vertically upwardly from opposing sides of the support surface 24 to face one another across the recess 16, thereby forming the verticals of the U'.

The first surface 26 is arranged orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the footing. The second surface 28, however, is inclined at an angle a relative to a plane parallel to the first upright surface 26. Thus, the workpiece recess 16 has a wide opening 27, and a narrow opening 29, located on transversely opposite sides of the footing 10.

The dimensions of the recess are such that a workpiece 22 of desired thickness can, in operation be received loosely in the recess with one side of the workpiece 22 contacting the first surface 26, thereby aligning the workpiece 22 transversely relative to footing 10, whilst leaving a gap between an opposing side of the workpiece 22, and the inclined second surface 28, the gap decreasing in width from the wide opening 27 to the narrow opening 29.

As seen in figure 2 the wedge 12 is of conventional shape having a base surface 30, a driving surface 32, and an inclined surface 34 arranged to provide a cross-section in the general shape of a snub-nosed right-angled triangle 36. The base surface 30 and driving surface 32 form the orthogonal sides of the triangle, whilst the inclined surface 34 forms the hypotenuse. The inclined surface 34 is arranged at the angle a relative to the plane of the base surface 30, but the intersection between the two is truncated to form a snub-nose 38.

As seen in figure 3, in typical operation when the workpiece 22 is received in the workpiece recess 16, the wedge 12 is inserted into the gap between the inclined second upright surface 28 of the recess 16, with the inclined surface 34 of the wedge in contact with the second upright surface 28. Hence, the base surface 30 is parallel to the plane of the first upright surface 26. A driving force is then applied to the driving surface 32 of the wedge 12 to drive the wedge into the gap thereby securing the workpiece between the base and first upright surfaces 26, 30, to secure the workpiece 22 in position.

Referring to figures 1 and 2, the inclined surface 34 of the wedge 12 and the inclined second upright surface 28 of the workpiece recess 16 are provided with complementary vertical ribs 40, 42, to assist in holding the wedge 12 in place as it is driven into the gap, and when the workpiece 22 is secured in position. It will be appreciated that the ribs 40, 42, may form an integral part of the surface itself, or alternatively may comprise part of a separate layer adhered to the corresponding surface. For example, the ribs may be provided as a high friction layer fonned from a suitable material such as rubber or the like. It will be further appreciated that a high friction layer may be used which does not include ribs, for example a planar rubber layer.

Furthermore, the base surface 30 of the wedge 12 and the first upright surface 26 each comprise an anti-scratch friction layer (not shown) both to reduce the risk of damage to the workpiece at the point of securing, and to resist slippage whilst during working. This is particularly beneficial for operations being carried out on workpieces prone to damage, for example UPVc doors or the like. The anti-scratch layer comprises a suitable high friction resilient material such as rubber or the like, or a laminate structure of materials such as a rubber coated resilient material. It will be appreciated that the support surface 24 may also comprise a similar anti-scratch, anti-slip layer.

Referring to figure 4, at least two similar supports will generally be required to hold a particular workpiece in position at two or more positions along its length, which is particular importance for elongate workpieces, such as worktops or doors. Hence, the supports may be provided either individually with an associated wedge, or as part of a kit (not shown) containing at least two supports of similar design, each support being provided with a corresponding wedge.

It will be appreciated that although the supports provided in such a kit are of similar design, it is advantageous to provide at least one left-handed' and at least one right-handed' support, the workpiece recess of the left-handed support being substantially a mirror image of the corresponding workpiece recess of the right-handed support about the longitudinal axis of the support.

In operation the left-handed support may be used near one end of the workpiece and the right-handed support near the other opposite end, the supports being arranged such that the wedges associated with each support may be driven into the associated gap from the same side of the - 6 workpiece, and in a direction A' from the end of the workpiece towards its centre.

The support 10 will now be described in further detail, by way of example only, to highlight other important features.

As seen in figure 1, the support 10 comprises a footing having a base portion 52, two end portions 54, 54', two side portions 56, 56', and a top portion 58.

The base portion 52 comprises a generally planar base surface in the shape of an elongate rectangle having a central longitudinal axis X' and a central transverse axis Y'. Each respective end portion 54, 54' comprises a generally planar rectangular end surface 60 extending orthogonally upwardly from a corresponding longitudinal end of the base portion 52. Each end portion 54, 54' further comprises a further surface 62 extending inwardly from the corresponding end surface 52 at an incline to form the chamfered corners 14. Each further surface 62 may be inclined at any suitable angle, to provide a convenient means by which a craftsman or the like can measure that angle. Typically the surface is inclined at 450 relative to the end surface 60.

It will be appreciated that the further surfaces may be inclined at different angles thereby allowing easy measurement of an additional angle.

Each end portion 54, 54' is provided with corresponding interlocking means 64, 64', the interlocking means 64 at one end 54 being mutually engagable with the interlocking means 64' at the other 54', such that a plurality of similar supports may be longitudinally interlocked as seen in figure 4, to allow a plurality of workpieces to be worked side by side. This is particularly advantageous because, in operation, the combined weight of one set of supports and workpiece contributes to the stability of an adjacent set of supports and workpiece.

The interlocking means 64,64' comprise a vertically oriented lug 64 at one end of the support and a corresponding vertically oriented recess 64' at the other, mutually configured to allow the lug 64 to be slidably received within the recess 64'. It will be appreciated, however, that any suitable arrangement may be used.

The top portion 58 comprises two upper surfaces 70 on either side of the workpiece recess 16. Each of top surface extends from the upper end of a respective chamfered corner 14, parallel to the base surface, to a corresponding side 26, 28 of the workpiece recess 16. The top portion 58 includes a pair of generally rectangular top recesses 72 each indented into a corresponding upper surface 70, and having a common longitudinal axis parallel to the axis X'. Within each top recess 72 is provided a corresponding horizontal spirit level 74, although it will be appreciated that one or both the recesses could be configured in any convenient manner, for example, as storage recesses for small tools, fixings, or the like.

Where at least two supports are supplied as part of a kit each support may have a different arrangement of top recesses 72.

The side portions 56, 56' each include an external surface 76 extending orthogonal to the base surface, the surfaces 60, 62 of the end portions 54, 54', and the top surfaces 70, to form respective sides of the footing 10. A first of the side portions includes an associated pair of side recesses 78, 79, each recess 78, 79 being indented into a region of the external surface 76 bounded by the perimeter of the associated side portion 56, 56' and a corresponding edge of the workpiece recess 16.

Each recess 78, 79 has a perimeter inset from the perimeter of the side portion 56, 56' and the corresponding edge of workpiece recess 16, such that the recess 78, 79 has a shape conforming to the general shape of the associated region.

The side portion 56' opposite the first side portion 56 also comprises a pair of recesses (not shown), each of which corresponds to an associated recess 78, 79 of the first side portion 56.

Each recess of the opposite side portion 56' is substantially a mirror image of the associated recess of the first side portion 56', relative to a vertical plane aligned with the longitudinal centre axis X'.

At least one of the recesses 78, 79 of either one of the side portions 56, 56' is provided with a vertically oriented spirit level 80.

The recesses are configured to reduce the quantity of material used for manufacture of the 1' support whilst maintaining its strength.

The first side portion 56 is further provided with magnetic attachment means 82,82' arranged for allowing the support 10 to be secured to another similar support during transportation and storage. The magnetic attachment means 82, 82' comprise a pair of magnets located equidistant on either side of the central transverse axis of the footing, although it will be appreciated that any suitable arrangement of one or more magnets is possible.

The opposite side portion 56', is also provided with magnetic attachment means (not shown).

The magnetic attachment means of the opposite side portion 56' may comprise a pair of magnets arranged in a complementary configuration relative to the magnets 82, 82' on the first side portion 56 such that in operation, similar supports may be magnetically secured to one another, in transverse alignment, for storage and/or transportation purposes.

Alternatively, the magnetic attachment means of the opposite side portion 56' may comprise a strip of metallic material or the like, suitable for securing to the magnets 82, 82' of a similar support.

Hence, in operation, a plurality of similar supports 10 may be magnetically secured to one another with the recesses in the side portion 56 of one support aligned with the recesses in the opposite side portion 56' of an adjacent support, thereby providing additional enclosed storage spaces for small items such as small tools, and/or fixing means such as screws, nails, pins or the like.

Similarly, the side portions of the left-handed and right-handed supports making up a kit are provided with complementary magnetic attachment means to allow them to be secured to one another, in transverse alignment. In the case of left and right handed supports, however, it is advantageous for the complementary magnetic attachment means to be arranged such that the supports may be magnetically secured to one another with their wide openings 29 aligned with one another. Alternatively or additionally, the complementary magnetic attachment means may be arranged such that the supports may be magnetically secured to one another with their narrow openings 27 aligned with one another.

It will be appreciated that whilst magnetic attachment means are particularly beneficial, any suitable complementary attachment means may be employed to allow a plurality of supports to be secured to one another. For example, mutually engageable interlocking means could be provided to allow the supports to be mechanically interlocked with one another.

At least one of the side portions 56, 56' is provided with a ruler 84 running the length of the associated external surface 76 at the interface between the external surface 76 and the base surface, to allow a user to use the support 10 for measurement purposes, in operation.

As seen in figure 2 the inclined surface 34 of the wedge 12 is further provided with magnetic attachment means 90, 90' arranged to allow the wedge to be magnetically secured to another similar wedge to form a generally cuboid block. The magnetic attachment means 90, 90' shown comprises a pair of magnets arranged with complementary polarities, at appropriate locations, such that when, in operation, the inclined surfaces of similar wedges are arranged against one another to form the block, the surfaces become magnetically secured to on another. It will be appreciated that one of the magnets could be replaced with an appropriate piece of metallic material thereby rendering the polarity of the remaining magnet immaterial.

The base surface 30 of the wedge 12, and first upright surface 26 of the workpiece recess 16 are also provided with complementary magnetic attachment means (not shown) for allowing the wedge 12, or a block comprising two magnetically attached wedges, to be secured in the workpiece recess 16 of the footing 10, for storage and/or transportation purposes. The complementary magnetic attachment means of the base and upright surfaces 30,26, comprise any suitable arrangement of magnets and/or metallic material.

Alternatively or additionally at least one of the recesses of the side portions 56, 56' may be provided with magnetic attachment means configured to allow the wedge to be secured therein. Where the depth of the recesses allow the wedge, or a block comprising two magnetically attached wedges, may thus be enclosed in an associated recess formed between two similar supports when they are secured to one another.

Claims

Claims A freestanding support for holding a workpiece in an upright

position whilst being a generally elongate footing having recess for holding said workpiece in said upright position; said recess having a first sidewall for aligning said workpiece, and a second sidewall; wherein said first and second sidewalls are arranged for allowing said workpiece to be secured therebetween by securing means; and wherein said first sidewall comprises a resilient layer configured to inhibit damage to said workpiece when said workpiece is secured in position.
2 A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises a wedge, and wherein said second sidewall is angled relative to the first sidewall to allow insertion of said wedge between said second sidewall and said workpiece thereby to secure said
3 A support as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second sidewall is provided with a friction layer configured for mutual engagement with a corresponding friction layer on said wedge to inhibit movement of said wedge when secured between the second sidewall and the workpiece.
4 A support as claimed in claim 3, wherein said friction layers comprise mutually engageable ribs.
A support as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of said sidewalls is provided with wedge attachment means for securing said wedge in said recess using complementary attachment means provided on said wedge.
6 A support as claimed in claim 5, wherein said wedge attachment means are magnetic.
7 A support as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the footing comprises longitudinal attachment means arranged for securing a plurality of similar supports to one another in a longitudinal direction.
8 A support as claimed in claim 7, wherein the longitudinal attachment means comprise complementary interlocking features located at opposing ends of the footing.
9 A support as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the footing comprises transverse attachment means arranged for securing a plurality of similar supports to one another in a transverse direction.
A support as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transverse attachment means comprise magnetic attachment means arranged for magnetic attachment to complementary magnetic attachment means on a similar support.
11 A support as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the transverse attachment means comprise complementary magnetic attachment means located on opposing sides of the footing
12 A kit comprising at least a pair of supports according to any preceding claim.
13 A kit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said securing means for each support comprises a wedge, and wherein said kit further comprises a pair of such wedges for acting as said securing means.
14 A kit as claimed in claim 13 wherein said wedges are securable to one another.
A kit as claimed in claim 13 or 14 wherein one surface of each said wedge is provided with a friction layer, and wherein said second sidewall of each support is provided with an associated friction layer configured for mutual engagement with the corresponding friction layer on said wedge.
16 A kit as claimed in claim 13, 14 or 15 wherein one surface of each said wedge is provided with a resilient layer arranged for inhibiting damage to said workpiece when secured in said upright position.