GB2139139A

GB2139139A - Handsaw

Info

Publication number: GB2139139A
Application number: GB08322342A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Malone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-05-04
Filing date: 1983-08-19
Publication date: 1984-11-07
Also published as: GB8322342D0; GB2139139B

Abstract

A handsaw (1) of the type having a removable blade (3) held in tension between the free end portions (4A) of the legs (4) of a bow-shaped frame (2) is rendered usable in confined spaces closed to conventional handsaws of this type by virtue of the fact that the free end portions (4A) of the legs (4) are bent at 90 DEG relative to the remaining portions (4B) of the legs, whereby the cutting plane of the blade (3) is disposed at right angles to the latter portions (4B) of the legs (4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Handsaw The present invention relates to a handsaw of the type having a removable blade which is held in tension between the free end portions of the legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame. Saws of this type include coping saws, fret-saws, and hack-saws.

A well-known problem with handsaws of the aforesaid type lies in the fact that, due to the shape and size of the frame necessary to maintain the tension in the blade, they are impractical for use in confined spaces. With a coping saw or hack-saw, which has a swivelling blade, it is sometimes possible to alleviate the problem by altering the angular position of the blade. In other cases, however, it is necessary to resort to a padsaw or mini hack-saw and thus forego the advantages of a tensioned blade.

The object of the present inventio is to provide a handsaw of the aforesaid type for use in confined spaces.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a handsaw of the type having a removable blade held in tension between the free end portions of a pair of legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent in the same direction laterally of the remaining portions of the legs, such that the effective cutting plane of the blade is inclined relative to the remaining portions of the legs, with the cutting edge of the blade facing away from the frame.

Preferably, the free end portions of the legs are bent at substantially 90 to the remaining portions, although in some cases a smaller degree of bending may be advantageous. The free end portions may be bent to the left or the right to provide saws for leftand right-handed users.

While handsaws of the present invention may be made for any blade size, such as that of a full-sized hack-saw, it is envisaged from their intended use that they will usually be of a blade size comparable to that of a junior hack-saw. In this case, the frame is preferably made from metal rod with an integral handle at one end. In order to allow a firm sawing pressure to be exerted with a comfortable grip, the handle projects from the frame substantially parallel to the blade but in a plane perpendicular to the cutting plane of the latter.

As with conventional handsaws of the aforesaid type, the blade of the present handsaw may be received in slots formed either directly in the free end portions of the legs of the frame or in sleeves or the like atachable to the free end portions. The blade is removable from the frame by flexing the latter so as to relieve the tension in the blade which can then be easily pulled from the slots. In larger handsaws according to the invention, the flexing is achieved in a conventional manner by a screw device; in smaller handsaws, the flexing is achieved by pushing one end of the frae against a firm surface in the usual way. The blade may be a conventional planar blade or a serrated wire-like blade.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a handsaw according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the handsaw of Figure 1, seen from below, and Figure 3 is a side view of the handsaw of Figure 1, showing the profile of a prior art handsaw of comparable blade size in broken outline.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a handsaw 1 comprising a substantially bow-shaped frame 2 made from a single piece of metal rod, and a removable blade 3 which is held in tension between the free end portions 4A of a pair of legs 4 defined by the frame 2. Both free end portions 4A are bent at 90 in the same direction relative to the remaining portions 4B of the legs 4, so that the cutting plane of the blade 3 is disposed at right angles to a plane containing the remaining portions 4B of the legs 4.

The cutting edge 3A of the blade 3, which is of the conventional planar type, faces away from the frame 2.

As shown in Figure 3, the configuration of the handsaw 1 results in a profile which is reduced considerably with regard to the profile of a known handsaw 11 of similar blade and frame size (in the illustrated example, a junior hack-saw). This reduced profile allows the handsaw 1 to be used in confined spaces closed to conventional handsaws with a bow-shaped frame. It can be seen that, in this example, the profile of the handsaw 1 is about 50% lower than that of the prior art saw 11.

The frame 2 includes an integral handle 5 which projects from one end of the frame parallel to the blade 3 but in a plane perpendicular to the cutting plane thereof. The arrangement of the handle 5 allows a firm sawing pressure to be exerted with a comfortable grip.

In a conventional manner, the ends of the blade 3 are received in respective slots 6 in the free end portions 4A of the legs 4 and have respective retaining pins which abut the legs, the blade 3 being held in the slots 6 by the tension in the frame 2. In order to release the blade 3, one end of the frame 2 is pushed against a firm surface so that the frame flexes and the tension is relieved.

It will be noted from a comparison between the handsaw 1 in Figure 2 and the conventional saw 11 in Figure 3 that the angles defined by the frame 2 of the handsaw 1 at each end of its bow portion 2A are larger than the corresponding angles of the saw 11.

These larger angles compensate for the shorter effective length of the legs 4 of the handsaw 1, ensuring that the blade 3 is correctly tensioned and the frame 2 can be flexed by the usual pressure to release the blade 3. The same function is served by the asymmetric curvature of the bow portion 2A of the frame 2 in a direction parallel to the cutting plane of the blade 3, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

1. A handsaw of the type having a removable blade held in tension between the free end portions of a pair of legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame,

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Handsaw The present invention relates to a handsaw of the type having a removable blade which is held in tension between the free end portions of the legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame. Saws of this type include coping saws, fret-saws, and hack-saws. A well-known problem with handsaws of the aforesaid type lies in the fact that, due to the shape and size of the frame necessary to maintain the tension in the blade, they are impractical for use in confined spaces. With a coping saw or hack-saw, which has a swivelling blade, it is sometimes possible to alleviate the problem by altering the angular position of the blade. In other cases, however, it is necessary to resort to a padsaw or mini hack-saw and thus forego the advantages of a tensioned blade. The object of the present inventio is to provide a handsaw of the aforesaid type for use in confined spaces. Accordingly, the present invention provides a handsaw of the type having a removable blade held in tension between the free end portions of a pair of legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent in the same direction laterally of the remaining portions of the legs, such that the effective cutting plane of the blade is inclined relative to the remaining portions of the legs, with the cutting edge of the blade facing away from the frame. Preferably, the free end portions of the legs are bent at substantially 90 to the remaining portions, although in some cases a smaller degree of bending may be advantageous. The free end portions may be bent to the left or the right to provide saws for leftand right-handed users. While handsaws of the present invention may be made for any blade size, such as that of a full-sized hack-saw, it is envisaged from their intended use that they will usually be of a blade size comparable to that of a junior hack-saw. In this case, the frame is preferably made from metal rod with an integral handle at one end. In order to allow a firm sawing pressure to be exerted with a comfortable grip, the handle projects from the frame substantially parallel to the blade but in a plane perpendicular to the cutting plane of the latter. As with conventional handsaws of the aforesaid type, the blade of the present handsaw may be received in slots formed either directly in the free end portions of the legs of the frame or in sleeves or the like atachable to the free end portions. The blade is removable from the frame by flexing the latter so as to relieve the tension in the blade which can then be easily pulled from the slots. In larger handsaws according to the invention, the flexing is achieved in a conventional manner by a screw device; in smaller handsaws, the flexing is achieved by pushing one end of the frae against a firm surface in the usual way. The blade may be a conventional planar blade or a serrated wire-like blade. One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a handsaw according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the handsaw of Figure 1, seen from below, and Figure 3 is a side view of the handsaw of Figure 1, showing the profile of a prior art handsaw of comparable blade size in broken outline. Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a handsaw 1 comprising a substantially bow-shaped frame 2 made from a single piece of metal rod, and a removable blade 3 which is held in tension between the free end portions 4A of a pair of legs 4 defined by the frame 2. Both free end portions 4A are bent at 90 in the same direction relative to the remaining portions 4B of the legs 4, so that the cutting plane of the blade 3 is disposed at right angles to a plane containing the remaining portions 4B of the legs 4. The cutting edge 3A of the blade 3, which is of the conventional planar type, faces away from the frame 2. As shown in Figure 3, the configuration of the handsaw 1 results in a profile which is reduced considerably with regard to the profile of a known handsaw 11 of similar blade and frame size (in the illustrated example, a junior hack-saw). This reduced profile allows the handsaw 1 to be used in confined spaces closed to conventional handsaws with a bow-shaped frame. It can be seen that, in this example, the profile of the handsaw 1 is about 50% lower than that of the prior art saw 11. The frame 2 includes an integral handle 5 which projects from one end of the frame parallel to the blade 3 but in a plane perpendicular to the cutting plane thereof. The arrangement of the handle 5 allows a firm sawing pressure to be exerted with a comfortable grip. In a conventional manner, the ends of the blade 3 are received in respective slots 6 in the free end portions 4A of the legs 4 and have respective retaining pins which abut the legs, the blade 3 being held in the slots 6 by the tension in the frame 2. In order to release the blade 3, one end of the frame 2 is pushed against a firm surface so that the frame flexes and the tension is relieved. It will be noted from a comparison between the handsaw 1 in Figure 2 and the conventional saw 11 in Figure 3 that the angles defined by the frame 2 of the handsaw 1 at each end of its bow portion 2A are larger than the corresponding angles of the saw 11. These larger angles compensate for the shorter effective length of the legs 4 of the handsaw 1, ensuring that the blade 3 is correctly tensioned and the frame 2 can be flexed by the usual pressure to release the blade 3. The same function is served by the asymmetric curvature of the bow portion 2A of the frame 2 in a direction parallel to the cutting plane of the blade 3, as clearly shown in Figure 3. CLAIMS

1. A handsaw of the type having a removable blade held in tension between the free end portions of a pair of legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent in the same direction laterally of the remaining portions of the legs, such that the effective cutting plane of the blade is inclined relative to the remaining portions of the legs, with the cutting edge of the blade facing away from the frame.

2. A handsaw as claimed in Claim 1, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent at substantially 900 relative to the remaining portions of the legs.

3. A handsaw substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

3. A handsaw as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the frame is made from metal rod and has an integral handle at one end which projects from the frame substantially parallel to the blade in a plane perpendicular to the cutting plane thereof.

4. A handsaw substntially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

Superseded claims 1-4 New or amended claims:-1-3

1. A handsaw of the type having a removable blade held in tension between the free end portions of a pair of legs of a substantially bow-shaped frame made from metal rod and bent into an integral loop handle at one end, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent in the same direction laterally of the remaining portions of the legs such that the effective cutting plane of the blade is inclined relative to the remaining portions of the legs with the cutting edge of the blade facing away from the frame, and in which the handle projects from the frame substantially parallel to the blade in a plane substantially perpendicular to the cutting plane thereof.

2. A handsaw as claimed in Claim 1, in which the free end portions of the legs are bent at substantially 90 relative to the remaining portions of the legs.