Abstract: A cloth cutting machine having a base mounted on at one end of an upright standard, and a motor mounted on the other end of that standard. A cloth cutting knife is connected to the standard, and is driven by the motor. A handle connected to the machine is manually gripped by the machine's operator to guide it during use. An air handler device connected to the machine is structured, in preferred form, to direct cooling air against the machine operator's hand which manually grips the handle. Also in preferred form, the cooling device includes a cooling air distribution manifold defined in the standard, that manifold having a hand air port at one end oriented to direct cooling air toward the handle, and a base air port at the other end which exhausts cooling air substantially rearwardly from the standard relative to the cutting direction of the machine so as to cool the standard.

Abstract: A hand held band saw particularly adapted to split animal carcasses. The band saw includes a novel housing structure that permits quick and easy access to the housing's interior for cleaning of the interior, and for installing a new endless saw blade. The band saw also includes a novel blade guide roller assembly, and a novel blade take-up assembly, which cooperate to permit quick and easy installation of an endless saw blade.

Abstract: A simplified safety guard for a cloth cutting machine of the vertically oriented circular blade type. The simplified guard includes a fixed section mounted to the machine that permanently guards substantially three-quarters of the blade's periphery, and a movable section pivotally mounted to the fixed section that guards the remainder of the blade's periphery when the blade is not engaged in a cutting operation with a cloth stack. The movable section is pivotally mounted to the fixed section in the 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock quadrant of the blade relative to the machine's right-to-left direction of travel. The movable section is fabricated of a transparent material to permit viewing of the cutting pattern on the cloth stack, is provided with a U-shaped nose adapted to embrace the edge of the blade, and includes a thumb lip disposed adjacent the machine's handle for opening the movable section as desired by the operator, preparatory to cutting the cloth stack, all in a one-piece structural member.