Base For Whetstone

Abstract

A supporting base for a sharpening stone consisting of an elongated downwardly facing channel having downwardly inclined end portions presenting sharp corners at their bottom ends adapted to penetrate the surface of a work bench. The channel has a pair of spaced upstanding stops along one longitudinal margin, an upstanding fixed transverse stop at one end and a slidably adjustable upstanding transverse stop at its other end, so that sharpening stones of different lengths may be accommodated, between the upstanding stops.

Description

This invention relates to supports for grindstones, and more particularly to an adjustable supporting base adapted to receive and hold a rectangular sharpening stone and to maintain the sharpening stone stationary while it is being used on a work bench or similar supporting surface.

A main object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting base for a sharpening stone, the base being of simple construction, being adjustable to accommodate different sizes of sharpening stones, and having means for automatically holding it in a fixed stationary position as sharpening pressure is applied thereto by the tool being sharpened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved adjustable supporting base for a sharpening stone, the supporting base being very inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, being compact in size, and being arranged to efficiently support a sharpening stone and to maintain the stone in a fixed stationary position as it is being used.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a rectangular sharpening stone supported in an improved base constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the sharpening stone and base of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the supporting base as employed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved supporting base for a sharpening stone in accordance with the present invention. The base assembly 11 comprises an elongated main body member 12 in the form of a downwardly facing channel of sheet metal or the like, the channel having downwardly and outwardly inclined opposite end portions 13 and 14, the included angle between the end portions and the main portion of the elongated channel-shape body being of the order of 140.degree., as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the channel-shaped body 12 has depending longitudinal flanges 15, and said flanges are suitably notched out so that when the end portions 14 are bent downwardly in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, the edges of the flanges at the cut-out portions thereof meet, as shown at 17. The end portions 13 and 14 therefore have downwardly facing right-angled end corners 18 which act as penetration spurs and embed themselves in the surface of a work bench or other similar supporting surface when downward force is applied to the main body portion of the supporting base, as will be presently described.

A fixed upstanding stop member 19 is struck upwardly from one end portion of the body member 12, traversing the fold line 20 associated with the downwardly inclined end element 13, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The stop member 19 has a substantially vertical upstanding, somewhat resilient portion 21 and a substantially horizontal top leaf portion 22 which is directed inwardly relative to the inclined outwardly extending end portion 13. The inner abutment portion 23 of the leaf member 22 is inclined upwardly and outwardly in a transverse direction, namely, is inclined upwardly and away from the rear longitudinal marginal portion 24 of the base, as viewed in FIG. 1. A pair of upwardly struck rear lugs 25,25 are provided respectively adjacent the end portions 13 and 14 of the base, said lugs 25,25 acting as rear stop elements for a typical rectangular grindstone 26 disposed on the base.

The main body 12 is formed adjacent its left end, as viewed in FIG. 1, with a relatively wide slot 27 in which is adjustably mounted the left upstanding stop member 28. The stop member 28 has a vertical upstanding portion 29 which is formed with opposite rectangular notches 30,30 slidably receiving the opposite longitudinal edges of the relatively wide slot 27. The stop member 28 is further provided with a longitudinally extending bottom tongue 31 which is generally channel-shaped and which has the respective upwardly and outwardly inclined side flanges 32,32. The main body member 12 is formed with a longitudinally extending channel-shaped depression 33 which is received in the channel-shaped tongue 31 and along which said tongue is slidable, the tongue being formed with a longitudinal slot 34. A clamping bolt 35 extends through an aperture provided therefor in the depressed longitudinally extending portion 33, the bolt 35 extending slidably through the slot 34 and being provided with a clamping nut 36 for clamping the tongue 31 in an adjusted position along the channel-shaped depression 33. The bottom surface of the channel-shaped depression 33 is provided with a length scale 37 which is calibrated in accordance with different lengths of grindstones 26 which may be accommodated between the stop members 19 and 28.

The stop member 28 is provided with an inwardly directed horizontal top flange 38 having an inner abutment portion 39 inclined upwardly and forwardly in a transverse direction, similar to the transversely inclined abutment portion 23 of the fixed stop member 19. The vertical wall 29 of the adjustable stop member 28 is somewhat flexible, similar to the vertical wall portion 21 of the fixed stop member 19.

The inner corners of the abutment portions 23 and 39 are preferably beveled, as shown at 40, to facilitate the insertion of a grindstone 26 between said abutment portions.

In using the supporting device 11, the adjustable stop member 28 is first set to its proper position in accordance with the length of the sharpening stone 26 intended to be placed thereon, as indicated by the transverse edge 41 of tongue 31 with reference to the scale 37. The adjustable stop member 28 can then be clamped in this position by tightening the clamping nut 36. In this position the spacing between the transverse inner edges of the abutment elements 23 and 39 is slightly less than the actual length of the grindstone 26, so that when the grindstone is inserted between the abutment elements 23 and 39, the upstanding resilient wall elements 21 and 29 will be flexed outwardly slightly so as to develop resilient clamping pressure on the opposite transverse ends of the grindstone. The grindstone is inserted in a direction indicated by an arrow 42 inscribed on the front marginal portion of the base member 12, the grindstone eventually coming into abutment with the upstanding rear stop lugs 25,25. The device is now ready for use. In using the grindstone supported in the device 11, as above described, the honing force applied by the application of the tool to the top surface of the grindstone tends to force the sharpened corner elements 18 into the subjacent work table or supporting surface, which provides a binding effect preventing the stone from slipping along the work table as the sharpening action takes place. The right-angled relatively sharp corner elements 18 therefore serve to maintain the stone in a stationary position while it is being used and thereby greatly facilitates the sharpening process.

Since the vertical wall portions 21 and 29 of the end stop elements are resilient, the grindstone 26 may be easily removed, reversed, and replaced, as required.

It will be noted that the relatively wide notch 27 traverses the left-end fold line 45 adjacent the downwardly inclined left-end member 14, and that the slot is somewhat enlarged in member 14, as shown at 46 to permit the assembly of the adjustable stop member 29 with the main body member 12, and to conversely allow the main stop member 29 to be at times removed, for example, when the device is taken apart for cleaning.

While a specific embodiment of an improved supporting base for a sharpening stone has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting base for a rectangular sharpening stone comprising an elongated main body member having downwardly and outwardly inclined end portions provided with relatively sharp opposite bottom corners adapted to penetrate a subjacent supporting table surface, an upstanding first stop member fixedly secured to one end of the main body member, a second upstanding stop member, means slidably connecting the second stop member to the main body member adjacent its opposite end for longitudinal adjustment along said main body member, and means to clamp said second stop member in an adjusted position on the main body member, wherein said main body member is formed with a longitudinal depressed channel adjacent said opposite end and said second stop member is provided with a tongue element slidably fitting beneath said depressed channel.

2. The supporting base of claim 1, and wherein said tongue element has a longitudinal slot and said clamping means comprises a bolt extending through the floor of said depressed channel, slidably engaged through said slot and provided with a clamping nut beneath the tongue element.

3. The supporting base of claim 2, and wherein said tongue element is channel-shaped to slidably embrace said depressed channel.

4. The supporting base of claim 3, and wherein the bottom surface of said depressed channel is provided with a length scale.

5. The supporting base of claim 3, and wherein said main body member is formed with a relatively wide longitudinal slot adjacent said opposite end, said second stop member having vertical opposite side edges formed with notches slidably receiving the opposite longitudinal edges of said relatively wide slot.

6. The supporting base of claim 3, and wherein both stop members are resilient and have inwardly opposing stop flanges.

7. The supporting base of claim 6, and wherein said stop flanges have inner abutment portions inclined in a transverse direction.

8. The supporting base of claim 7, and a plurality of upstanding spaced stop elements on said main body member adjacent one longitudinal edge thereof.

9. The supporting base of claim 8, and wherein said main body member is of downwardly facing channel-shaped cross-section and said opposite bottom corners are substantially of right-angled shape.