Edge Grinding Tool

Abstract

An edge grinding tool is disclosed for dressing the edge of a workpiece using a hand grinder. The tool includes an elongated fence plate with a centrally aligned raised fence that has symmetrical, downward-diverging side surfaces. A grinder holder, attachable to various grinder heads via an optional adapter plate, features a guide plate with wheels that engage the fence's diverging surfaces, enabling smooth, controlled longitudinal movement. A second embodiment features a dual-guide plate system with spring-loaded engagement and a lever mechanism, enabling secure, hands-free operation by locking the grinder holder onto the fence. The tool supports different grinder configurations and includes optional wear and friction strips for added stability. The symmetrical fence design enables the fence plate to be rotated and reused on opposing workpiece edges, resulting in seamless joints. This invention improves precision, repeatability, and ease of use in edge dressing applications, especially for stone or concrete countertops.

Claims

1. An edge grinding tool for grinding an edge of a workpiece with a grinder that includes a head, a body, a perpendicular drive shaft, and a grinding disc attached to the drive shaft, the tool comprising: a. an elongated fence plate that includes a longitudinal axis, two parallel outer edges, a top surface, and a raised longitudinally aligned fence formed on the top surface, the fence includes two downward diverging side surfaces, each diverging side surface being the same distance from the adjacent outer edge; b. a grinder holder including a bracket selectively attached to the head of the grinder, the grinder holder also includes a guide plate, two slide arms, and an adjustment rod, the bracket includes an inside surface and an outside surface, the slide arms and the adjustment arm extending outward from the bracket, the guide plate being configured to slide over freely the slide arms, the adjustment rod being affixed to the guide plate and configured to selectively move and hold the guide plate in a fixed position from the bracket, the guide plate includes two guide wheels spaced apart on the guide plate, each wheel includes a converging outer surface configured to roll against one of the diverging side surfaces on the fence; and, c. a handle attached to the guide plate.

2. The edge grinding tool, as recited in claim 1, further including the bracket with an outer surface and an adapter plate attached to the outer surface used to connect the head of the grinder to the bracket.

3. The edge grinding tool, as recited in claim 1, further including a shield mounted on the grinder holder that surrounds the body of the grinder.

4. The edge grinding tool, as recited in claim 1, wherein the fence includes a hollow center channel.

5. The edge grinding tool, as recited in claim 1, further including a second guide plate attached to the first guide plate, the second guide plate includes two guide wheels, two slide arms, at least one biasing spring and a lever, the slide arms extend between the first guide plate and the second guide plate, the spring bias the second guide plate inward towards the first guide plate, the lever and the spring are configured so that when the lever is activated or pulled, the second guide plate moves away from the first guide plate enabling both sets of guide wheels to be positioned on opposite sides of the fence, when the lever is released, the first guide plate and the second guide plate slide together so that the guide wheels engage opposite the diverging side surfaces on the fence.

6. An edge grinding tool for dressing an edge of a workpiece using a grinder, the tool comprising: a. an elongated fence plate having a longitudinal axis, two parallel outer edges, a top surface, and a raised fence aligned along the longitudinal axis of the top surface, the fence having a center axis and two downward diverging side surfaces, each diverging side surface being equidistant from its adjacent outer edge; b. a grinder holder comprising: a bracket configured to attach to a head of the grinder; a guide plate slidably connected to the bracket via two slide arms and an adjustment rod, the guide plate including two guide wheels, each guide wheel having a converging outer surface configured to engage one of the diverging side surfaces of the fence; a handle attached to the guide plate for manual operation; and, c. wherein the grinder holder is configured to slide longitudinally along the fence plate while maintaining engagement between the guide wheels and the diverging side surface of the fence.

7. The edge grinding tool of claim 6, wherein the bracket includes an adapter plate configured to interface with various grinder head configurations.

8. The edge grinding tool of claim 6, further comprising a shield mounted on the grinder holder and configured to surround the body of the grinder.

9. The edge grinding tool of claim 6, wherein the fence includes a hollow center channel and a slot formed on the bottom surface of the fence plate, the channel configured to receive clamps for securing the fence plate to the workpiece.

10. The edge grinding tool of claim 6, further comprising a second guide plate attached to the first guide plate, the second guide plate including: a. two guide wheels configured to engage the opposite diverging side surface of the fence; b. two slide arms extending between the first and second guide plates; c. at least one biasing spring configured to urge the second guide plate toward the first guide plate; d. a lever configured to move the second guide plate away from the first guide plate to facilitate positioning of the guide wheels; and e. wherein, upon release of the lever, the guide wheels of both guide plates engage opposite diverging side surfaces of the fence, thereby stabilizing the grinder holder against vertical disengagement.

11. The edge grinding tool of claim 6, wherein the grinder comprises an electric or pneumatic hand grinder having an elongated body, a head at one end of the body, a drive shaft extending perpendicularly from the head, and a grinding disc mounted on the distal end of the drive shaft, the grinder holder being configured to support the grinder such that the grinding disc is oriented vertically and perpendicularly aligned with the edge of the workpiece.

12. A method for dressing an edge of a workpiece using an edge grinding tool and a hand grinder, comprising the steps of: a. positioning an elongated fence plate on a top surface of the workpiece adjacent to the edge on the workpiece to be dressed, the fence plate including a raised longitudinal fence with two downward diverging side surfaces; b. securing the fence plate to the workpiece using clamps inserted into a center channel formed in the fence; c. attaching a grinder holder to a head of the hand grinder, the grinder holder including a bracket, a guide plate, two slide arms, and an adjustment rod; d. positioning the guide plate such that two guide wheels with converging outer surfaces engage one of the diverging side surfaces of the fence; e. adjusting the position of the guide plate relative to the bracket using the adjustment rod to align a grinding disc of the grinder with the edge of the workpiece; f. activating the hand grinder and sliding the grinder holder longitudinally along the fence plate to grind the edge of the workpiece.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of attaching an adapter plate between the grinder head and the bracket to accommodate different grinder configurations.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of attaching a shield to the grinder holder to surround the body of the hand grinder during operation.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the guide plate includes a rub plate on its bottom surface to reduce friction with the fence plate during sliding.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of: a. attaching a second guide plate to the first guide plate via extended slide arms; b. activating a lever to move the second guide plate away from the first guide plate; c. positioning a second set of guide wheels on the second guide plate to engage the opposite diverging side surface of the fence; d. releasing the lever to allow springs to bias the second guide plate toward the first guide plate, thereby securing the grinder holder to the fence.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the fence plate is rotated 180 degrees and repositioned on a second workpiece to create a matching dressed edge for forming an inconspicuous seam with the first workpiece.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG 1. is a top perspective view of the edge grinding tool that uses a grinder holder to attach a grinder with a disc against the edge of a workpiece and a fence plate on which the grinder holder travels over to dress the edge of the workpiece.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the edge grinding tool shown in FIG. 1 showing the grinder holder with a second guide plate attached to the first guide plate member, the guide wheels on the two guide plates engage the opposite diverging side surfaces on the fence to attach the grinder holder to the fence plate.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the fence plate.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the grinder holder shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the grinder holder shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the grinder holder shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the grinder holder shown in FIG. 2.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the grinder holder shown in FIG. 2.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the grinder shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the fence plate with a clamp that extends into the center channel formed on the fence.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] An edge grinding tool 10 for dressing an edge 7 of a workpiece 5 with an electric or pneumatic grinder 80. Tool 10 includes a rectangular, elongated flat fence plate 20 which is aligned and affixed to the top surface of workpiece 5 adjacent to the edge 7 to be dressed. Tool 10 also includes a grinder holder 40 configured to hold the body 82 of a grinder 80 oriented vertically with its disc 85 positioned vertically and perpendicularly aligned with the edge 7.

Fence Plate

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, fence plate 20 is a straight, flat elongated structure made of extruded aluminum. The fence plate 20 measures 46 to 92 inches in length and 6 to 8 inches in width. Fence plate 20 includes a top surface with a centrally located, raised fence 26 that extends the fence plate's entire length. The fence 26 is symmetrical around the fence plate's center axis 21 and extends approximately inches above the top surface of the fence plate 20 and includes a flat top surface 27 and two diverging side surfaces 29, 30. Because fence 26 is aligned with the fence plate's center axis 21, the distances from the plate's outer edges 23, 24 to adjacent diverging side surfaces 29, 30 are equal. Attached to the top surface of the fence plate 20 on opposite sides of the fence 26 are optional plastic wear strips 32 (4 total). Attached to the bottom surface of fence plate 20 are optional rubber friction strips 33 (4 total).

[0023] Formed inside the fence 26 is an optional center channel 31. Slot 34 is formed on the bottom of fence plate 20 that communicates with the center channel 30. During use, clamps 35 with heads 36 (one shown only) may be inserted into the center channel 31 at each end of fence plate 20 to hold fence plate 20 on the top surface of workpiece 5.

Guider Holder and Guide Plate

[0024] The tool also includes a grinder holder 40 configured to hold a commonly used hand grinder 80 with a disc 85 used for grinding or dressing the edge 7 on a workpiece 5 made of concrete, natural stone, or artificial stone material. The hand grinder 80 includes an elongated body 82 with a head 83 formed at one end. Extending perpendicular from the head 83, is a drive shaft 84. Attached to the distal end of the drive shaft 84 is a grinding disc 85. During use, the grinder holder 40 positions the grinding disc 85 against the edge 7, allowing the worker to selectively adjust the depth of the grinding disc 85 against the edge 7, then repeatedly move the disc 85 back and forth over the edge 7 until the entire edge 7 has been dressed.

[0025] More specifically, the grinder holder 40 includes a bracket 42 that attaches to the grinder head 83. Because the configuration of some grinder heads 83 may not be compatible with the outside surface 44 of bracket 42, an optional adapter plate 47, if needed, may be used as an intermediate structure that attaches to the outside surface 44 of bracket 42.

[0026] FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 show the grinder holder 40 with a guide plate 50 configured to move inward and outward from bracket 42. Extending perpendicularly from the inside surface of bracket 42 are two slide arms 52, and an adjustment rod 54. Slide arms 52 are parallel and extend perpendicularly from bracket 42. Guide plate 50 attaches to the distal ends of the sliding arms 52 and selectively moves inward and outward from bracket 42.

[0027] Guide plate 50 includes two transversely aligned guide wheels 56 that engage an inside diverging side surface (surface 29 in FIG. 10) on fence plate 26. Guide plate 50 may include an optional rub plate 55 to reduce friction and wear on the bottom of the guide plate 50 and two optional longitudinally aligned vacuum grooves 38. Vacuum grooves 38 are used by vacuum pod-type clamps. During use, the worker forces the grinder holder 40 inward so that the two guide wheels 56 press against the closest, adjacent diverging side surface 29. The worker holds the bottom surface of the guide plate 50 over the top surface of the fence plate 20 and then slowly slides the guide plate 50 over the fence plate 20.

[0028] FIGS. 2, 6, 7, and 8, show the grinder holder 40 with a second guide plate 70 attached to the first guide plate 50. The second guide plate 70 includes two guide wheels 76 attached at its opposite ends. The two slide arms 52 are replaced with longer slide arms 73 (see FIG. 6) that extend through the first guide plate 50 and attach to the second guide plate 70. Disposed between the first guide plate 50 and the second guide plate 70 is a lever 77 and one or two springs 78 that bias the second guide plate 70 inward towards the first guide plate 50. During use, the lever 77 is activated or pulled, allowing the second guide plate 70 to move away from the first guide plate 50. When the two sets of guide wheels 52 and 76 are properly positioned around fence 26, lever 77 is released, allowing the two sets of guide wheels 56 and 76 to move inward and engage opposite diverging side surfaces 29, 30 on fence 26.

[0029] The grinder holder 40 may include a shield 65 that extends downward from bracket 42 and that surrounds the grinder 80.

Operation

[0030] Fence plate 20 is selected using a clamping system, such as manual clamps 35, that fit into the central channel formed on fence plate 20. The fence plate 20 is then securely attached to the top surface of a workpiece 5 adjacent to a vertical edge 7 to be dressed. A grinder 80 with a desired disc 85 is then selected. The head 83 of the grinder 80 is then attached to bracket 42. If the configuration of bracket 42 is not compatible with the grinder's head 83, an adapter plate 47, compatible with both bracket 42 and head 83, is used to attach head 83 to bracket 42.

[0031] If the first embodiment of the grinder holder is used, then the adjustment knob 48 is rotated so that the outer surface of the disc 85 touches edge 7 and the guide wheels 56 press against the inside diverging side surface 29 on fence 26. When the grinder motor is activated, the grinder holder 40 is supported so that the guide plate 50 slides over the top surface of fence plate 20 and the wheels 56 remain in constant contact with the diverging side surface 29 on fence 26. The grinder holder 40 and guide plate 50 are then slowly moved longitudinally in a back and forth over fence plate 20 until edge 7 is satisfactorily dressed.

[0032] If the second embodiment of the grinder holder is used with a second guide plate 70 attached to the first guide plate 50, the lever 77 must be activated, enabling the second guide plate 70 to move outward or away from the first guide plate 50. The guide wheels 76 on the second slide body 72 are then positioned over the opposite diverging side surface 30 on fence 20. Lever 77 is then released, allowing the second guide plate 70 to move towards the first guide plate 50 until the guide wheels 56, 76 contact the diverging side surfaces 28, 30, respectively, on fence 26. Because the wheels 56 and 76 on the first and second guide plates 50, 70, respectively, have compatible diverging and converging surfaces, the first and second guide plates 50, 70 are partially locked onto fence 26.

[0033] In compliance with the statute, the invention described has been described in language more or less specifically as to structural features. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown, comprises the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect. The invention is therefore claimed in its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims, appropriately interpreted under the doctrine of equivalents.