Sawhorse Bracket Assembly

Abstract

A bracket assembly for use in the formation of a sawhorse or the like structure. The assembly includes a main support bracket having a generally triangular face plate with a slot of a predetermined width extending inwardly from the apex thereof and a shelf portion extending outwardly from a first surface of the face plate at the base of the slot; and an auxiliary bracket mounted on the main bracket. The auxiliary bracket includes a plate portion having a width at least at a predetermined point therealong equal to the width of the slot in the main bracket and being received thereat in the slot. A first section of the plate portion extends from the first surface of the face plate and rests on the shelf portion. A second section extends from the opposite surface of the face plate and includes flanges along the sides thereof, the ends of which are butted against the second surface of the face plate. The cross member of the sawhorse structure rests on the auxiliary bracket and aligned apertures in the latter and in the shelf portion serve to allow for the insertion of a screw fastener into the cross member. Side flanges along the face plate have apertures at the upper ends thereof for passage of screws into the cross member.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of this invention to provide a new and improved bracket assembly for use in forming sawhorses or the like.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an auxiliary bracket for use with a support forming bracket such as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,144, which provides added stability and strength to a sawhorse, etc., formed with the last-mentioned bracket, and with screw fasteners binding the cross member against wobble to the bracket assembly.

It is another object of this invention to provide an auxiliary bracket for use with a support bracket like the one described above, which provides for added ease of assembly of a sawhorse or the like structure and which is simple and inexpensive to produce.

IN THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sawhorse structure formed through the use of a plurality of bracket assemblies according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a bracket assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the sawhorse structure of FIG. 1, taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a bracket assembly according to the invention, taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the auxiliary bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, FIG. 1 thereof illustrates a portion of a sawhorse 10 including a crosspiece or member 12, a pair of legs 14 and a pair of bracket assemblies 16 according to the invention, each including a main support bracket 18 and an auxiliary bracket 20 for interconnecting the crosspiece 12 of the sawhorse structure to the legs 14 thereof.

Turning to FIG. 2, a bracket assembly 16 is shown both in unassembled condition, respectively. The main bracket 18 of the bracket assembly includes a face plate 22 of a generally triangular shape. The face plate is preferably formed as an equilateral triangle including an angle of 33.degree. between the equal length sides 24 thereof, for it has been found that at this angle the supporting legs 14 (FIG. 1) provide more strength and stability to the sawhorse or the like structure.

The bracket 18 further includes a rectilinear slot or opening 26 of a predetermined width indicated as "X" to receive therein a length of lumber or the like material to form a crosspiece, such as 12 of FIG. 1, of the sawhorse. A shelf or ledge 28 is disposed at the base of the slot 26 and extends rearwardly from the face plate 22 and substantially perpendicularly thereto. The shelf is provided as a support upon which the crosspiece 12 may rest as well as a stop for legs 14 therebeneath. The equal length sides 24 of the face plate 22 are provided with flanges 30 which extend rearwardly and perpendicularly therefrom. The converging flanges 30 (FIG. 1) define channels for constraining legs 14 of the sawhorse structure 10.

The auxiliary bracket 20 comprises an elongated plate 34 having first and second sections 36 and 38, respectively. The first section 36 includes an aperture 40 extending through the section and a pair of flanges 42 extending downwardly along the sides thereof perpendicularly to the plate 34. The second section 38 has an aperture 44 therethrough and may include a pair of notches 43 on opposite sides thereof, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter. The width of the auxiliary bracket 20 is slightly larger than the width ("X," FIG. 2) of slot 26, so that the bracket may be mounted between the edges 50 defining the slot only at notches 43 thereof whereat the width is approximately equal to the width of the slot 26. Thus, edges 50 are received in notches 43 as auxiliary bracket 20 is slipped downwardly onto the shelf 28. If desired, however, the width of bracket 20 may be equal to that of slot 26 and notches 43 eliminated. This provides for a more simple and less costly construction of the auxiliary bracket 20. The vertically oriented ends 52 of flanges 42 of the auxiliary bracket are butted against face plate 22 when the bracket 20 is in position on shelf 28 to further support section 36 of the bracket 20 against the weight of a crosspiece 12 placed thereon.

FIG. 3 illustrates the manner in which a pair of bracket assemblies 16 maintain legs 14 and crosspiece 12 of the sawhorse structure 10 in an assembled relation. A pair of bracket assemblies 16 are combined with a pair of legs 14 by disposing the bracket assemblies back-to-back in a spaced-apart relation and situating the legs 14 within the channels formed by the adjacent flanges 30 of the main brackets 18 of the respective assemblies. In order to establish positive alignment between the two bracket assemblies, a number of preferably rectangular holes 56 are provided in the face plate 22 of each of the main brackets. Carriage bolts 58 or other suitable fasteners may be inserted through aligned holes 56 in each of the two main brackets 18 to have wing nuts 60 threaded about their free ends so as to draw the bracket assemblies together closely about legs 14 to secure them therebetween. The lower bolts engage the legs 14 for added rigidity. Crosspiece 12 is inserted into slot 26 of both main support brackets 18. A screw 63 may be inserted through aperture 62 near the apex of the bracket 18 in flanges 30 thereof to aid in securing the crosspiece 12 thereto.

It will be noted that crosspiece 12, due to the addition of auxiliary brackets 20 is provided with added area for the support thereof and for the distribution of weight carried thereby when the sawhorse is being used. In addition, to better secure the crosspiece 12 to the bracket assembly 16, a screw fastener 54 may be inserted from beneath crosspiece 12 through aperture 40 in auxiliary bracket 20 and into the lower surface of the crosspiece. Because the section 36 of the bracket 20 is spaced from the leg assembly and extends outwardly from the main bracket 18, easy access to aperture 40 for the insertion of fastener 54 therein is provided. Further, a screw fastener 64 extends through opening 44 in the portion 38 of the auxiliary bracket and through opening 66 in the shelf portion 28 of the main bracket and into the crosspiece 12. Thus, it will be seen that the crosspiece is secured by screw fasteners 63 to the flanges 30 and these screw fasteners are slightly angled downwardly. When tightened, these screw fasteners tend to cause the inner top edges 30a of the flanges 30 to bite into the crosspiece with a wedging action and with compressive action in the flange portion toward the edges 50 of the slots, thus tending to constantly wedge edges into engagement with the crosspiece. Also, the crosspiece is secured to the shelf portion 28 and to the auxiliary bracket portion 38 by screw fasteners 64 which are in the same vertical plane with corresponding screws 63. In this relationship, the screw fasteners 63,64 of each pair cooperate with one another, by reason of the inclination of the screws 63, to urge the crosspiece into tight engagement with the auxiliary bracket and main bracket shelf portion and with the edges 50 of the slot 26 and the ends of the flanges 30. This confinement of the crosspiece and the interaction between the pairs of screws 63,64 makes for an assembly without wobbling and any tendency theretoward can be immediately corrected by tightening the screws. To further guard against wobble, the screws 54 through the openings 40 in the auxiliary bracket and into the bottom of the crosspiece tend to maintain the support surface of the auxiliary bracket in continuous surface contact with the bottom of the crosspiece.

Claims

I claim:

1. An arrangement for interconnecting a cross member and a pair of legs of predetermined lengths and sizes in converging relation to form a support, said arrangement comprising a pair of bracket assemblies, each said assembly including a main support bracket member having a triangular shaped face plate with a slot of predetermined width extending downwardly thereinto from the apex, with a shelf portion extending outwardly from a first surface of said face plate at the base of said slot, said shelf portions of said pair of brackets being in an aligned opposing relation, each of said brackets further including flanges inclined along each side thereof and extending toward the flanges of the other bracket for receiving and engaging therebetween said legs, and a pair of auxiliary brackets, each one of said pair being associated with a corresponding main support bracket and each comprising a plate portion having a width substantially equal to the width of said slot and being received in said slot, said plate portion having a first section extending outwardly from said first surface of the face plate of said corresponding main support bracket and resting on a corresponding shelf portion with said first section and shelf portion having aligned apertures for receiving a screw fastener to be threaded into the bottom of the cross member and a second section extending outwardly from the opposite surface of said face plate and apertured to receive a screw fastener to be threaded into the bottom of the cross member and further including opposed laterally open notches between said first and second sections receiving the slot forming edge portions of said main support brackets, and each of said flanges having an aperture therethrough adjacent the upper end thereof for receiving a screw fastener to be threaded into the side of the cross member and with the axes of the said apertures in said flanges inclined downwardly to correspondingly position screw fasteners received therein for causing end portions of the flanges to bite into the cross members under influence of the screw fasteners with resultant compression of the flange portions adjacent the edges of the slot causing said edges to snug the adjacent surfaces of an inserted cross member in line with said notches, said cross member being received in the slots of said main brackets and supported on the auxiliary brackets in position for screw fasteners in said apertures to be threaded thereinto for substantially nonwobble support thereof on legs secured between the face plates of the main brackets with the aligned apertures in the shelf portions and auxiliary brackets being disposed in substantially the vertical planes of the corresponding apertures at the upper ends of the flanges to correspondingly position screws received therein with the screws arranged in a generally transverse triangular positioning for engagement of corresponding screws with the bottom and sides of the cross member and with the screws through the second sections of the plate portions arranged with the other screws in a generally longitudinal triangular positioning for additional engagement thereof with the bottom of the cross member whereby to provide a close-coupled array of screws transversely and longitudinally of the cross member, said second section of each plate portion including depending flanges with substantially vertical edges to abut the adjacent face of the main bracket for aligning the aperture in each first section with the aperture in the corresponding underlying shelf portion for screw reception therethrough into engagement with the cross member for assembly and facilitating disassembly by permitting ready removel of the auxiliary brackets from the main brackets upon removal of the screw fasteners.