Abstract: There is disclosed a pneumatic nailing tool operated by a hammer blow or the like substantial force. The tool also carries a feeler which ensures operation of the tool only when the latter is properly positioned on the work-piece to be nailed. The above characteristics constitute two safety features preventing accidental operation of the nailing tool. The tool also ejects the nail with a delay after the hammer blow, whereby part of the force of the hammer blow serves to push the work-piece in proper position before being nailed.

Abstract: A magazine fed, trigger driven surgical stapler to close a surgical incision. The stapler has an anvil and a staple driving die, an adjustable stop for controlling movement of the staple driving die so that staples can be reformed to a range of closed positions. The anvil is pivotable under control of the staple driving die between a staple engaging position and position clear of the staples. A forcep assembly operable under actuation control of the staple driving die acts to draw the edges of the incision into close approximation. A staple blank with a concave back, upper arms extending the concave shape of the back and pointed lower arms extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper arms, which blank on reformation around the anvil will adopt a substantially hexagonal configuration.

Abstract: A stapler for use with sheet metal staples each having an ornament joined to a bridge interconnecting a pair of parallel legs. The staples are bonded together to form a staple bar, with the ornaments placed in overlapping relation to one another so that the bridges of the joined staples form an obtuse angle with each pair of staple legs. The stapler has an elongate staple magazine which is shaped to accommodate the ornamented staple bar and which is pivoted at its rear end on a base so that the front end of the staple magazine is movable into and out of engagement with an anvil or matrix on the base. Pivotally coupled to both the base and the staple magazine, a handle has an ejector for driving the successive ornamented staples out of the front end of the staple magazine against the anvil on the base.

Abstract: A tool for driving gutter nails through the ends of gutter brackets to secure a gutter to a gutter board includes a nail guide which engages a bracket of the gutter and holds a gutter nail and a nail driver which when struck with a hammer delivers the impact to the nail and drives it from the guide. When engaged with the bracket, the nail guide aligns the nail with holes in the end of the bracket, so that the driven nail passes through the end of the bracket and into the gutter board.

Abstract: A right angle clamp assembly holds two frame elements in a common plane and in angled abutment to form a mitered joint. Pneumatic cylinders are arranged to move the movable clamps of the right angle clamp assembly. A fastener tool has its discharge opening positioned on one side of the location where the mitered joint is to be formed, and a brace is positioned on the other side, with the brace being movable toward and away from the location of the mitered joint. The fastener tool is tiltable with respect to the right angle clamp assembly, and control means are provided for firing the fastener tool in response to the frame elements being gripped by the right angle clamp assembly. The fastener is inserted into the mitered joint at an angle formed by the frame elements to draw the mitered joint together.

Abstract: A machine for driving a pin into a hole in a work piece. The pins are fed by gravity in a continuous succession from a pin supply to a passage extending through a pin receiving rotor. With a pin in the rotor, the rotor is turned through a selected angle to bring the pin and the passage through the rotor into alignment with a pin driving punch. Upon actuation of the punch, the pin is driven from the rotor into a passage in an adjacent aligned sliding pin guide. Movement of the pin through the pin guide temporarily ceases when the pin encounters a resilient stop. Continued movement of the punch then moves the pin guide and the pin therein until the nose of the pin guide engages the work piece. The punch, continuing to move through the passage in the now stationary pin guide, drives the pin past the resilient stop and into the aligned hole in the work piece. Upon withdrawal of the punch, the pin guide aided by a spring returns to it original position adjacent the rotor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automated frame assembly, particularly advantageous for use in forming furniture drawers, includes a first bin for storing drawer back portions, situated generally in an elevated position with respect to the rest of the machine, and a pair of opposed bins for storing drawer side portions in serially arranged fashion. A pushing mechanism feeds the drawer back portions one at a time into engagement with one of the serially aligned drawer side portions of each bin. The pushing mechanism, in the same motion, pushes the engaged back and side portions into engagement with a drawer front portion where the side portions are fastened to the drawer front and back portions. Glue is applied to the drawer back portions before they engage the drawer side portions and glue is applied to the drawer side portions before they engage the drawer front portion.

Abstract: A shoe support for supporting a shoe to have a heel attached thereto comprises a generally planar support surface against the heel seat region of the shoe and the heel are located. The support has at least one nail guide formed therein which is inclined to the normal to the support surface and contains a pusher member movable normally to the support surface. A driver rests on the pusher member and is movable, by movement of the pusher member, along the guide to drive a nail therefrom into the heel seat region and the heel. As the pusher member moves sliding movement takes place, normally to the direction of movement of the pusher member, between the pusher member and the driver.

Abstract: A system for orientating a railway spike of the type having a head provided with a lip which projects at one location from the head. It is important to ensure that the lip is aligned in a predetermined angular position so that when the spike is driven in a tie by means of an automatic spike driver the lip will overlie the rail flange. The system involves a holding device, such as an electromagnet for holding a spike and a drive motor rotating the holding device and spike until a light path defined between a stationary source and detector is interrupted by the lip of the spike and at which point the drive motor is deenergized, in addition, a switch indicating a complete 90.degree. rotation of the spike is also activated so that one of the flat faces of the square section shank will face the rail.

Abstract: An improved type of pneumatic tacking tool is disclosed for use in fastening carpet tacking strips and the like to wooden or concrete floors. The tool comprises a modification of the fastener driving tool described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,554 and my U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,904, and is particularly well suited to setting fasteners close to walls without the tool contacting the walls.

Abstract: A woodworking machine for fastening together wood picture frames, cabinet doors, case goods, and the like, with joint nails driven into sawed kerfs. The machine combines the two operations of sawing the kerfs and inserting the joint nails. Workpieces to be joined are clamped to movable fixtures. Actuators move the workpiece fixtures apart to permit the entry of a rotary kerfing saw to cut kerfs in the facing surfaces to be joined. Other actuators move the kerfing saw into position and into the workpieces to cut the kerf, then withdraw the saw and move it back into a retracted position out of the way. The workpiece fixtures are then moved to bring the workpieces together so that the sawed kerfs become a single kerf ready to receive a joint nail. The workpiece fixtures may also move the workpieces forward, up to the nailing head. The nailing head then pushes a joint nail into the kerf, fastening the workpieces together.

Abstract: A device for use without an external power source and comprising two hand-operated pinning assemblies arranged at 90.degree. to each other with a foot operable jaw assembly for holding mitred picture frame moulding against the pinning assemblies during pinning, each pinning assembly incorporating a magazine for pins, and visible adjustable stops being provided to control the insertion depth of the pins.

Abstract: A pneumatic tool for driving clamp nails, having a single nose piece making possible the driving of clamp nails into the outside corner of a miter joint, or the inside corner of a miter joint, and having a plate which may be adjusted to position the nose piece at any angle from 45.degree. to 30.degree. off the vertical centerline of the tool. When set at the 30.degree. angle, the nose piece is in the optimum position to drive a clamp nail into an inside right angled butt joint. A safety is provided having a configuration like the nose piece. The tool is provided with a magazine for a stick of clamp nails, and an adjustable rail in the magazine makes it adaptable to clamp nails of different sizes. The guide body through which the clamp nails are fed into position below the drive is provided with a configuration which makes it impossible to feed clamp nails if the stick is inserted into the magazine upside down.

Abstract: An improved and versatile nailing tool comprised of parallel and spaced-apart ramrod and nail feeding tubes intersecting adjacent one end thereof. A plurality of foot attachments are provided for accomodating different nailing situations, the attachments being removeably connected to one end of the ramrod tube. A ramrod is reciprocally contained within the ramrod tube. A nail deposited in the distal end of the nail feeding tube is guided into the ramrod tube in a position to be driven home.