WOOD WORKPIECE LEVELING DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention provides an adjustable bar clamp leveling device operable to receive a plurality of conventional woodworking bar clamps and provide space above and below a workpiece for positioning cauls and clamps to the workpiece a glue-up. A plurality of bar clamp leveling devices may be incorporated into a workbench with or without T-slots for securing a workpiece at various positions while maintaining planar alignment of the workpiece components during a glue-up.

Claims

1. A clamp leveling device for adjustably elevating a workpiece above a workbench, comprising: a. an angle bracket having a base plate securing to a workbench with a fastener and a vertical plate orthogonal to an edge of said base plate, said vertical plate having a central positioning slot and a linear guide; b. an alignment plate having a central alignment slot, a recess on a top surface operable to receive a bar clamp shaft and position said bar clamp above a top surface of a workbench, and a front surface with a channel operable to slidably engage with said linear guide; and c. an alignment fastener positioned through said positioning slot and alignment slot and operable to secure said alignment plate to the angle bracket plate with a fastening knob, wherein the elongated position of said alignment plate is configured by sliding said alignment plate along the linear guide and is anchored with said alignment fastener and fastening knob, said alignment plate concavity.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said workbench includes a T-slot track for receiving said base plate fastener and allowing adjustments to the position of said leveling device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said linear guide has a dovetail geometry protruding from said back surface and said alignment plate channel has a geometry complementary to said linear guide geometry.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said central positioning slot and central alignment slot have the same width and complement the diameter of said alignment fastener.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said fastening knob is operable to engage with threading of said alignment fastener.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein said base plate fastener engages with threading of a fastening knob and is anchored in the adjusted position.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said alignment plate recess further includes a slot operable to receive a removable and replaceable alignment insert, wherein said alignment insert has a geometry complementary to the geometry of said bar clamp shaft.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second leveling device secured to opposite sides of said workbench and having a position that is symmetric to a position of said leveling device about a centerline of said workbench such that said leveling device and said second leveling device are operable to support opposite ends of said bar clamp.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said leveling device and said second leveling device are adjustable to position a workpiece in a level horizontal attitude in a free space above said workbench.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongated position may adjust said bar clamp height at a range of about five inches to about eight and three-quarter inches above said tabletop surface.

11. A method for positioning a bar clamp leveling device and a workpiece above a workbench, the method comprising: a. positioning and fastening a pair of clamp leveling devices to opposite ends of a workbench T-slot, said clamp leveling devices comprising: i. an angled bracket having a T-slot bolt protruding through a base plate and a vertical plate having a centering slot and a linear guide; and ii. alignment plate having a channel operable to slidably engage with said vertical plate and an alignment slot operable to receive a fastener for securing said alignment plate to said vertical plate with a fastening knob; b. adjusting the height of each alignment plate such that a top surface of each alignment plate is level, and anchoring said alignment plate configuration to said clamp leveling device with said fastener and fastening knob; c. positioning a bar clamp shaft into a recess of each of said alignment plates top surfaces; and d. securing said workpiece above said workbench top surface with said bar clamps, wherein said pair of clamp leveling devices are symmetrical about a centerline of said workbench and may be repeatedly positioned along said T-slot of said workbench to provide multiple clamping points on said workpiece.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said pair of clamp leveling devices are adjusted at the same height and have the same position in each of said workbench T-slots.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said workpiece is elevated at a position operable to receive a plurality of cauls and clamps on a top and a bottom surface for preventing vertical slip panels in said workpiece.

14. A clamp leveling device for elevating a workpiece above a workbench, comprising: a. an angle bracket having a base plate securing to a workbench with a fastener and a vertical plate orthogonal to an edge of said base plate, said vertical plate having a central positioning slot and a linear guide; b. an alignment plate having a central alignment slot and being operable to receive a bar clamp shaft, and a front surface with a channel operable to engage with said linear guide slidably; and c. an alignment fastener positioned through said positioning slot and alignment slot and operable to secure said alignment plate to the angle bracket plate with a fastening knob, wherein the elongated position of said alignment plate is configured by sliding said alignment plate along the linear guide.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said workbench includes a T-slot track for receiving said base plate fastener and providing adjustments to the position of said leveling device.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein said linear guide has a dovetail geometry protruding from said back surface and said alignment plate channel has a geometry complementary to said linear guide geometry.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein said central positioning slot and central alignment slot have the same width and complement the diameter of said alignment fastener.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein said fastening knob is operable to engage with threading of said alignment fastener.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein said base plate fastener engages with threading of a fastening knob and is anchored in the adjusted position.

20. The device of claim 14, further comprising alignment plate recess that includes a slot operable to receive a removable and replaceable alignment insert, wherein said alignment insert has a geometry complementary to the geometry of said bar clamp shaft.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of an exemplary workbench securing a plurality of clamp leveling devices, each supporting a woodworking clamp, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of a clamp leveling device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 3 provides an exploded rear perspective view of a clamp leveling device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 4 provides a fastener and fastener knob, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 5 provides a side view of a clamp leveling device attached to a workbench, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 6 provides a front view of a clamp leveling device component, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 7 provides an exploded top view of a clamp leveling device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 8A provides a rear view of a clamp leveling device configured at the maximum height, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 8B provides a rear view of a clamp leveling device configured at the minimum height, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 9 provides a perspective view of an exemplary workbench securing a plurality of clamp leveling devices supporting a woodworking clamp, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in reference to these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included within the spirit and scope of the invention. In the following disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without all of the specific details provided.

[0025] The present invention concerns a woodworking leveling device incorporated into a workbench or other working surface for woodworking. FIG. 1 provides a view of an exemplary woodworking workbench 200 incorporating the clamp leveling device 100, of FIGS. 2-8B, each is supporting a bar clamp 300. The exemplary workbench 200 includes a tabletop 200T having a pair of exemplary T-slot fixture plates 201 positioned on opposite sides of the tabletop about the center of the tabletop. The exemplary T-slot fixture plates 201 includes three T-slots for use with T-slot nuts, bolts, and setup studs and is operable to anchor objects to the tabletop 200T temporarily. The exemplary bar clamp 300 may include a bar 300A, first plate 301, a second plate 302, and a tightening screw 303 that is operable to advance the first plate 301, thereby reducing the space between the first plate and second plate to compress a workpiece. The clamp leveling devices 100 may be operable to finely adjust each end of the bar 300A and thus the attitude of the bar 300A and the bar clamp 300 in a free space above the tabletop 200T. FIG. 9 illustrates the workbench 200 of FIG. 1 and includes a workpiece 400 lifted off the workbench 200T from the clamp leveling device 100. The elevation of the workpiece 400 provides a space operable to allowing for cauls and clamps to be positioned on the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece 400 to prevent vertical slip of workpiece panels.

[0026] The clamp leveling device 100, according to the present invention, may include two pieces, (1) an angle bracket 10 (e.g., L-bracket) having a bottom plate 10B, a vertical plate 10A, an inner surface (e.g., surface within the plate junction), and an outer surface (e.g., surface outside the plate junction), and (2) an alignment plate 20 having a front side 20A with a channel 21, a top surface 20T, and a rear side 20B, the alignment plate being operable to slidably engage with the angle brackets vertical plate 10A. The clamp leveling device 100 illustrated in FIGS. 2-8B. The vertical plate 10A may have a protruded guide 11 operable to align the alignment plate 20 with the angle brackets vertical plate 10A and allow linear motion along the face of the plate 10A. The vertical plate may have a centrally positioned slot 12 to receive a bolt of a similar size. The alignment plate 20 channel 21 may have a geometry complementary to the protruded guide 11, and the top surface 20T may have a concavity 22 operable to receive an insert 30, as shown in FIG. 7. The channel 21 and protruded guide 11 may have a dovetail-like geometry for limiting the motion of the alignment plate 20 to linear motion. The alignment plate 20 may have a slot 22 with a geometry complementary to that of the vertical plate slot 12. The slots 12 and 22 of the leveling device 100 may be aligned and may receive a fastener 40 that operates like a pin, thereby limiting the extension of the alignment plate 20 with respect to the angle bracket slot 12. The fastener may have a diameter complementary to the slots 12, 22. The maximum extension height of the alignment plate 20 with respect to the angle bracket 10 is shown in FIG. 8A, and the minimum height of the alignment plate 20 with respect to the angle bracket 10 is shown in FIG. 8B. The position of the alignment plate 20 may be set with a fastener knob 40 that engages with the fastener 40, and may fix the position of the plate 20 between the maximum and minimum allowable heights.

[0027] In some embodiments, the alignment plate 20 may have a concavity 22 operable to receive a bottom edge 30e of a removable and replaceable insert 30 that is operable to centrally position the shaft of a bar clamp 300 along the center of the alignment plate 20. Bar clamps 300 are manufactured from various producers and may have, for example, rectangular, square, or circular shaft geometries of varying sizes that are mainly dependent on the producer. Thus the removable and replaceable insert 30 may provide a varying alignment geometry operable to support varying shapes and sizes of the shaft of a bar 300A in a centered position. FIG. 6 shows non-limiting examples of a plurality of removable and replaceable inserts, each having a bottom edge 30e complementary to the alignment plate concavity 23. The insert 30a may have an upper edge geometry operable to receive a bar 300A shaft of varying cross-sectional geometries and sizes. The insert 30 may have an upper edge geometry operable to receive a substantially circular bar clamp shaft, and the insert 30b may be operable to receive a substantially square bar clamp shaft. The alignment geometry of the insert 30 is operable to secure a bar clamp 300 at the centerline of the leveling device 100.

[0028] In some embodiments, the leveling device 100 base plate 10B of the angle bracket 10 may be fixedly attached to a workbench with a fastener (e.g., screw) at through-hole 15. In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 5, and 9 the base plate 10B may be secured to a T-slot rail 201 with a fastener 41 that has a square portion 41s immediately adjacent to the fastener base 41a and is operable to prevent the fastener 41 from rotating in the T-slot 201t when positioning leveling device 100. The T-slot rail 201 may have a narrow passage 201b and a wide passage 201t the T-slot rail may receive the fastener 41 on either of the rails ends, and the angle bracket may be positioned over the fastener 41, and the fastening knob 40 may be turned to compress the base plate 10B between the T-slot rail 201 and the fastening knob 40. The leveling devices 100 in such embodiments may be positioned anywhere along the path of the T-slot rail 201. The base 41a compresses against the bottom surface of the narrow passage 201b. Similarly, the fastener 41 compresses the fastener base 41a against the alignment plate's rear surface 20B and the fastening knob 40 against the vertical plate 10A.

[0029] In some embodiments, a plurality of leveling devices 100 may be positioned in the T-slots 201 on different sides of a workbench 200 to position a workpiece in free space above a tabletop 201T and apply adequate pressure to the periphery of the workpiece. For example, a pair of leveling devices may be positioned on a right side of a workbench, and a second pair of leveling devices may be positioned on a left side of a workbench, where one leveling device in each pair is symmetrically positioned about a workbench centerline. Each of the alignment plate 20 may be calibrated with a level.

CONCLUSION/SUMMARY

[0030] The present invention provides a clamp leveling device operable to elevate a wood workpiece during glue-ups to provides space above and below the workpiece for cauls and clamps. The present leveling devices incorporates an adjustable height leveling plate with an insert operable receive a plurality of different conventional woodworking bar clamps. It is to be understood that variations, modifications, and permutations of embodiments of the present invention, and uses thereof, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments, descriptions, or illustrations or combinations of either components or steps disclosed herein. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although reference has been made to the accompanying figures, it is to be appreciated that these figures are exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.