Abstract: A lightweight, portable guide assembly for use with a power tool such as a hand-held circular saw is described having a platform, a front, a rear support and a bottom plate secured to the platform and a removable base secured to the assembly through an attachment means. The platform contains a pair of adjustable parallel guides for receiving the power tool and a blade gap allowing the power tool to contact a workpiece. The assembly is designed such that the blade of the circular saw contacts and penetrates the base without damage to the saw or the assembly, obviating the need for adjustment of the assembly before use and allowing for simplicity in design and construction of the guide assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting open-toe sock blanks includes a tube for receiving a sock blank sleeved thereover such that the open toe end of the blank extends beyond the end of the tube, a clamping mechanism for engaging the blank against the tube and for rotating the blank about the tube, a sensor system for detecting one or more predetermined features on the toe end of the blank so that the blank can be rotated to a proper orientation for sewing the toe end closed, and a spreader device that moves into the open toe end of the blank and spreads the toe end into a flattened orientation so that overlying edge portions of the open toe end are generally aligned with each other, and then moves away from the tube to remove the blank from the tube and transport the flattened toe end into an automatic sewing machine for sewing the overlying edge portions of the toe end together.