Bit Mounted Fan

Abstract

The disclosed device is a fan that is threaded over a cutter, preferably over the shank of such cutter. The bearing portion of the fan is substantially shorter than the length of the shank. The fan contains at least two blades, but may contain three, four or more blades. The blades are at a perpendicular angle with respect to the sidewall of the bearing. The blades are in a horizontal, or if stated differently, in a flat orientation with the bearing. The blades may also be angular both with respect to the previously mentioned flat orientation and more or less perpendicular with respect to the sidewall.

Claims

1. A debris clearing accessory comprising, a bearing, said bearing having a sidewall, said sidewall forming an inner channel, wherein said inner channel being open on both ends; and at least two blades, said at least two blades projecting outward from said sidewall and on the opposite side from said inner channel.

2. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said bearing is threaded over a cutting bit.

3. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said at least two blades are in a horizontal orientation with said bearing.

4. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said at least two blades are in an angled orientation with respect to the horizontal orientation of said bearing.

5. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said bearing and said at least two blades are substantially brittle.

6. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said bearing is cylindrical.

7. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said bearing is conical.

8. The debris clearing accessory of claim 1, wherein said bearing is comprised of a flexible material that is capable of stretching to cover a range of bearing diameters or shapes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIGS. 1A-1D are detailed diagrams of the disclosed device.

[0012] FIGS. 2A-2C are detailed diagrams of another embodiment of the disclosed device.

[0013] FIGS. 3A and 3B are detailed diagrams of another embodiment of the disclosed device.

[0014] FIG. 3C demonstrates another embodiment of the present invention with the bearing assuming a conical shape.

[0015] FIGS. 4A and 4B is a closeup diagram of the disclosed device mounted onto a drill bit.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a contextual diagram, showing the device in action.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

[0019] FIGS. 1A-1D demonstrate one embodiment of the disclosed fan 1, having the bearing 2 with at least two blades 4. The blades 4 are attached at right angle 6 with respect to the exterior surface of the sidewall 12. For stability, the blades 4 are attached to the opposite sides of the bearing 2. The sidewall 12 makes a hollow inner channel that is shown in form of a tube 10 with openings on both ends. While a cylindrical bearing is shown, bearing may be more conical or parallelogrammical, such that the shape of the inner channel 10 conforms with the shape of the shaft 42 (FIG. 4b.). The length 15 of each blade 4 is preferably between a half and three inches in length, with equivalent metric values. Since the rotation of the bearing 2 is at very high revolutions and the blades 4 are so close to the work article 82 (FIG. 5), the blades 4 do need to be very long to have the desired blustering effect against accumulation of shavings during a cut.

[0020] The sidewall 12 of the bearing 2 is preferably made of an inflexible material, such as hard plastic or resin. Thin walled metaling or wood materials may be used to still maintain the desired brittleness of the disclosed device. The blades 4 are made of the same or different flex-resistant material. The flex-resistance of the sidewall 12 is preferred since the blades generate substantial torque when in operation and a flexible sidewall 12 would yield under the pressure of this torque, substantially obfuscating, or even defeating the absolute perpendicularity of the blades 4 with respect to the bearing 2. Alternatively, the blade attachment points 18 may be reinforced with inflexible materials, while the rest of the sidewall remains stretchable or flexible. A flexible sidewall 12 allows a bearing of one minimum diameter 16 to assume at least two or three increasing bit diameters. A flexible bearing 2 is also capable on being mounted on cylindrical, tapered and parallelogrammical shafts 42 (FIG. 4B), without the need to have a one to one correlation of size and shape between a bearing 2 and a shaft 42. The blades 4 may be offset at a slightly more acute angle 6 in some embodiments.

[0021] The distal ends 9 of the blades 4 may contain rigidity ribs 8 or may be of equal thickness and width, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. The top edge 13 is shown to be square and blunt but may also be slightly or significantly tapered to form a more acute line at edge 13. The sidewall 12 is preferably of the same height 14 as the blades 4, promoting a flush finish between the edge 13 of the blades 4 and the bearing 2, potentially lowering manufacturing costs.

[0022] The bearing 2 having a sidewall 12 will be manufactured in a plurality of widths or diameters 16 that conform to the various sizes of the drill or cutter bits on which the fan 1 will be mounted. A flexible or stretchable bearing 2 will be capable of fitting bits from a certain minimum size through larger bit sizes. The height of the bearing is preferably between ⅛ of an inch and one inch, with the length 15 of the blade 4 being between 1 and 3 inches, with similar metric values. For larger diameters and cutting bits, the fan 1 will be proportionally larger.

[0023] FIGS. 2A-2C demonstrate a variation of the disclosed bearing 2 with blades 4. In this 10 variation, the distal ends 9 are of uniform thickness as the rest of the blade surface 4. The distal end 9 may also be tapered to improve weight, balance or airflow. In other embodiments, the blades 4 may be oriented at an angle 20 from the completely horizontal plane Y. The angle 20 of the blade may be dictated by the airflow requirements. For example, an angled blade 4 will ensure that the airflow will be directed in a more concentrated and downward direction.

[0024] As demonstrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, each blade 4, or any one of the blades4, may be attached at an angle 20 to the horizontal axis 21. An angled blade 4 will create a more focused air flow. If an angle 20 exists, it is preferred that the hypotenuse 22 faces the direction of rotation to produce a substantially downward airflow. FIG. 3C demonstrates a conical bearing 3 where the first opening 11 is wider than the second opening 15. A conical bearing 3 will be necessary to accommodate cutter bits with tapered shaft sections. Alternatively, a cylindrical bearing 2 may still be used, if a tapered shaft is attached to a chuck through a spindle (not shown).

[0025] In the example shown on FIGS. 4A and 4B, the optimal position for the fan 1 is on the shaft portion 42 of the bit 40. In most cases, especially with drill press machines, the shaft will rarely reach the cut area, thus the fan 1 will remain safely above the work article. Alternatively, the bearing 2 may be strung directly of the body 44 in either to get a snugger fit of the with the bearing 2 or to intensify the air flow downward towards the work article.

[0026] The utility of the disclosed device 1 is to create a sweeping air flow 52 while the chuck 79 is rotating in the clockwise direction 59 during its normal operation, as shown in FIG. 5. The blades 4 push the air in the direction 52, creating a wind force toward the sides of the bit 40. The blades 4, rotating with the chuck 70 at 500-2000 rpm, generate a very significant air flow in the lateral direction 52, downward direction 54 and upward direction 53. The airflow 52 and 54 displaces the air mass present at the cutting surface 80 of the work article 82, thus lifting shavings and other loose debris present in the upward direction 56. The spinning further causes the lifted particles to move in a concentric direction 66 around the spinning bit 40, with these particles being propelled away from the work area 80 in the direction 52. The fan 1 will maintain the airflow during the entire cutting process and keep the current area 80 clear of debris by generating a lifting and vortex-like movement motion of the shavings around the perimeter of the cut 80 and away from it. The fact that the fan 1 works in unison with the cutter 40, ensures that the desired airflow will be present where it is needed most.

[0027] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.