US2876046A - Scaffold support and its use - Google Patents

Description

T. J. OWEN SCAFFOLD SUPPORT AND ITS USE.

March. 3, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26, 1956 FIG. 3

A 'INVENTOR. v THEODORE J. OWEN AITITIORNEY FIG. 2' E T. J. OWEN SCAFFOLD SUPPORT AND ITS USE March 3, 1959 Filed April 26, 1956 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J. OWEN "j THEODORE ATTORNEY United States Patent.

2,876,046 SCAFFOLD SUPPORT AND ITS USE Theodore J. Owen, Akron, Ohio Application April 26, 1956, Serial No. 580,755 3 Claims. (Cl. 304- This invention relates to a support for a scaffold and, more particularly, a scaffold for a painter or paperhanger. The scaffold support is made of metal and is collapsible. It is to be used with a plank which supports the workman, and the invention includes such use. Ordinarily the scaffold support will be about 18' inches to two feet high, and may be made with extensions which will raise it to any desiredheight.

The plank on which the workmen stand is ordinarily supported by a separate scalfold support at each end. The top of the support is formed with angle members in which the plank rests. Although angle irons will ordinarily be used, any equivalent is satisfactory. The legs of the support are braced by braces pivotally connected so that the distance between the-angle members can be varied, and tightening means is provided for'tightening the respective angle members against the opposite edges of a plank. The angle members are advantageously provided with hook means of adjustable length for holding the plank in place. 1 1

The scaffold support may beused for other purposes, as, for example, to hold a dispenser for masking paper and masking tape, as will be explained;

The scaffold and its support will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which p Fig. 1 is aperspective'view of af'planksupported at each end by one of the scaffold supports;

Fig. 2is an end elevation; 1

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the scafiold support which is at the left end of the plank;

Fig. 4 is a section in the line 44 of Fig. 3;

f Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the scaffold support-in collapsed position; .1 v i 1 Fig. 7 is a modification showing the bottom of a leg of the scafiold support with an adjustable extension in it;

and

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the upper portion of the scaffold with a masking-paper dispenser, etc. mounted thereon.

In the drawings the plank 1 is a heavy plank of the type usually employed by a painter or paperhanger. For interior work, such a plank has often been supported at its ends by stepladders. There are various objections to these. They are-cumbersome, and they hinder the free- 6 dom of a workman located at an end of the plank. They have been replaced to a certain extent by other supports which, in general, are cumbersome and expensive.

The scaffold support of this invention has various advantages. It does not impede the movement of a workman at any place along the length of the plank. The supports are light in weight and collapsible, and are thus easily'transported from place to place, both on the job and from one job to another.

The scaffold support is formed with two angle irons 3 and 4 or other angle members that are positioned opposite one another and support the plank from below and 2,876,046 Patented Mar. 3, 1959 ice . 2 prevent its movemen t laterally.

rods the ends of which are welded to the undersides of the angle members.

5 Each leg is braced.

over. The bottom end 10 is pivoted in the support 11 at the base of the leg- 7, and the top end 12 is pivotally engaged in the bracket 13. The other brace 15 is simi-, larly pivotally connected to the support. This permitsv 10 the angle members and legs 'to be moved toward and away from one another so that the support can be used with planks of somewhat different widths. Also, the support can be collapsed by pressing the angle members outward into the same plane, as illustrated in Fig. 6.v

There is a tightening member which connectsthe two angle members and provides for tightening them. against the opposite edges of a plank, regardless of the width of the plank. This tightening member is composed of the short rod 20, the end 21 of which 'is bent .at a right angleand engaged in the opening in the bracket 22. Its

end is drilled and secured by the cotter pin 23. The opposite end of this rod is held in one end of the tube 25. The opposite end of the tube is threaded internally at 26. 'The bolt 27 with the wing-nut head 28 is adapted-to be screwed into and out of the threaded endof the tube 25. The bolt can be engaged in the bracket 30 (Fig. 3) the side of the bracket being opened to permit insertion and removal of the bolt. I

To use the device of the invention, a scafiold is brought 30 to the place of use with two scaffold supports collapsed and separate-fromthe plank. The supports are each folded together with the angle members adjusted to approximately the width of the plank and then each one is separately placed under its end of the plank while this end of the plank is supported manually. Each tightening member is swung into position with its free end in the bracket 30. The heads 28.are then tightened, bringing the upright portions of the respective angle members of each support tight against the opposite edges of the plank.

Mounted on the outside of each of the angle members is a socket 31 in which a hook 31' is slidably engaged. The bottom of the hook is threaded and the wing nut 32 is provided to tighten thehook against the top of the plank. After the angle members 3 and 4 of the supports have been tightened against the sides of the plank the four hooks 31 are drawn into position to prevent the plank frombe'ing lifted away from the supports.

' After these hooks have been tightened the entire assembly r may be lifted from'place to place bymerely lifting the ends of the plank.

On completion of a job the hooks are loosened and turned outwardly. Then the nut 28 is loosened and the free end of the tightening member is disengaged from a the bracket 30 and allowed to hang. The supports are then removed from under the ends of the plank and are preferably collapsed to the flat position illustrated in Fig. 6, and placed on top of the plank for movement to another location,

Although ordinarily the painter or paperhanger will need a scafiold only about two feet high in order to reach the ceiling of a room of ordinary height, it occasionally happens that a somewhat higher scafiold is necessary. For this purpose, the height of the scafiold support may be made adjustable, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Here, instead of using a single rod bent back on itself to form one of the legs, two separate rods 40 and 41 are employed and they are united at the bottom by a threaded nut member 42. The bolt 44 is threaded up into this and held in place by the lock nut 45. The bottom of this bolt is provided with a rounded head in order that it will not damage a floor or carpet or the like on which the scaffold is erected. The height of the scaffold sup- The two legs 6 and 7 are advantageously, but not necessarily, formed of bent The ends of the brace are bent 3 port thus equipped may be adjusted by turning the bolt and locking it in any desired position with the lock nut; .A shortboltj44is' illustrated; Amuchfllongc lbolt,

orca rodfa foot or. more in length. and. threaded, at

upperand maybe employed.

This type of support may be used withashort, plank orboard to support a masking-paper. and masking-tape of the'typ'e. in which the paper, and the tape are drawn simultaneously from separate rolls. Thisis illustratedin Fig. 8. The dispenser comprises two .identi:

cal,'-although opposite, frames 50 connectedQby the rod,

51: on whichthe roll of masking paper 52 is placed. The

masking-tape. roll 53 is separately supported and is so. located widthwise that when the paper and tapeare drawn,

from their separate rolls together, about vhalflthe width of the tape overlaps thelpaper, and the adhesive of the bolts 56in orderto throw the'center of gravity back,

toward the connecting rod 57 which is held down by hooks 58fiwhich pass through sleeves 59 fastened to the outer surfac'e of the angle member 4. The hooks are tightened by wi ngnuts 60. Two or more such hooks are empl 's 9 Although in the preferred form of the invention, both ends of each brace arepivotally connected with the rest of the sllpport othertypes of bracing may be employed. For example, instead of using straight braces, Vt-braces may be employed with their ends rigidly attached to the top and 'bottom of each leg. The apices of these braces would beconnected by; a, rivet orbolt or other pivotal attaching means. Theend view of such a modification would be similar to the view shown in Fig. 2, except that where. the. two braces cross in Fig. 2, the apexof the one vsbrace wouldbe pivotally joined to the. apex of the other V-brace, and the, ends of the braces would be welded, or otherwise attached to the scaffold support. Sucha scafiold support'could notbe flattened out, as is the preferred form of scaffold support in Fig. '6, but the two braces could be pivoted about the point where they are join d, 89 that the angle members of such a support could bebrought against the sides of aplank, and held inplace by a tightening member such as described.

.TI'he' Ivat ious elements shown may be replaced by eguiyalent's; The. invention is defined in the 1claims which follow. i i i What I claim is:

1. A scaffold support which includes two parallel angle members which face one another and are adapted to re ceive and support the opposite edges of a plank, a leg support for each angle member, a brace extending from a pivotal connection near.,th e,ba se,of each leg to a pivotal connection near the union of the top of the opposite leg and its angle member, and contractible meansof adjustable length theoppositeends of which are attached to the angle members for maintaining the angle members against the edges of the plank.

2. A scaffold support which includes two parallel angle members which face one another and are adapted to receive and support the opposite edges of a plank, contractible means the opposite ends of which are attached to the angle members for maintaining the angle members against the opposite edges of the plank when the scaffold support ,is in use, aqleg rigidly attached. to each angle member, and a braceforeachleg one. end of which is pivotally attachedtothe leg andtheother end of which is. pivotally' attached to thesupportf near the union of the other leg and its angle member, each brace being longer thanthe vertical height of its legwhereby the scaffold support may be flattened into one plane with the angle members located at the outer ends thereof.

3. A seaflold support which includes two parallelangle memberswhich face one another and are adapted toreceive and support the opposite edges, of a plank, each anglemember having attached thereto a leg formed of a rod sharply bent into two substantially straight portions, one portionjof which extends substantiallyperpendicularly downwardly. from near one end of the angle member and the other portion of which; angles back to the angle member at an. angle less. than 90 degrees, said portions whiclrarev not perpendicular to theanglemember being substantially parallel when the angle members are supporting a plank; andcontractiblemeans of; adjustable length theopposite ends. of which are attached to the angle members for maintaining theanglemembers against th d s. ft p ank- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 1,138,838 Bonenberger May 11, 1915 1,196,655 Buflington Aug. 29, 1916 1,359,452 Walker Nov. ,l6, 1920 2,077,541 Wieslander Apr. 20, 1937 2,108,198 Egger 'Feb. 15, 1938 2,198,956 Thielepape Apr. 30, 1940 2,556,611 Borgm an June 12, 1951 2,631,655 Jannello Maif. 17,1953

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