Abstract: A two-piece magazine for strips of nails in nailing tools, combinations thereof and methods therefor including first and second magazine portions each having an elongated side wall with front and rear end portions. The first magazine portion includes a first lower portion with a tongue protruding therefrom, and the second magazine portion includes a second lower portion with a groove. The tongue is disposable and frictionally retainable in the groove to assemble the first and second magazine portions. The first and second magazine portions are formed preferably at least partially by extrusion and partially in one or more stamping operations.

Abstract: The generator of an engine-driven welding machine is comprised of front and rear housings that attach directly to each other. The generator stator maybe secured solely to one or the other housing with preloaded screws. Alternately, one or more preload elements may be interposed between the stator and one of the front or rear generator housings. Thermal stresses are thereby avoided between the stator and the generator housings, despite the housings being made of aluminum and the stator being made of steel. The rear generator housing has an end wall that is mountable to different selected internal combustion engines by means of teardrop shaped clearance holes and machineable bosses. Slots for cooling air in the rear generator housing have sides with tangential components. Air leaves a fan in the generator with tangential components that are matched by the rear generator housing slots. The fan incorporates both fan blades and a baffle having a close clearance with an annular wall of the rear generator housing.

Abstract: Mounting brackets for an engine driven welding machine have respective first and second legs at right angles to each other. The mounting brackets can be attached to the welding machine base in a shipping mode or in a installation mode. When in the shipping mode, the second legs are under the machine base, and fasteners engage first sets of holes in the mounting bracket first legs to common sets of holes in the machine base. The welding machine can then be welded to a selected mounting surface by welding the mounting brackets and not the base. When in the installation mode, the mounting bracket second legs extend outwardly from the base, and fasteners engage second sets of holes in the mounting bracket first legs and the common set of holes in the base. Holes in the second legs of the mounting brackets are then exposed for installing it by fasteners to a mounting surface.

Abstract: A fuel system is provided for a combustion-powered tool having a self-contained internal combustion power source with a combustion chamber, and constructed and arranged for driving a drive blade to impact a fastener and drive it into a workpiece. The tool includes a housing having a main chamber enclosing the power source and having a first end adjacent a nosepiece wherein the fasteners are positioned prior to driving, and a second end opposite the first end and adjacent the combustion chamber. A fuel cell chamber is in communication with the main chamber and has a first chamber end corresponding to the first end of the main chamber and a second chamber end corresponding to the second end of the main chamber.

Abstract: In a fastener-driving tool comprising a housing structure with a handle and a nosepiece and a magazine with a main body and a hinged cover, the main body is mounted to the handle by a mortise and tenon mounting, which comprises a structure integral with the main body and defining a mortise and a structure integral with the handle and defining a tenon. The mortise and the tenon are tapered complementarily so that the tenon can wedge into the mortise. The mortise has a widened region and the tenon has a widened portion fitting into the widened region so as to prevent the tenon from pulling from the mortise in a direction normal to the handle.

Abstract: A sealless strapping tools and methods therefor including a feed wheel for engaging and tensioning an upper strap portion, a strap sealing actuator cam engageable with a strap sealing member to engage the strap sealing member with overlapping strap portions, a lifting cam engageable with a strap sealing member to disengage the strap sealing member from the overlapping strap portions, a release cam engageable with a pivotal link to disengage the feed wheel from the strap before the lifting cam fully disengages the strap sealing member from the overlapping strap portions.

Abstract: A strap guide and method therefor in a tensioning tool having a base plate, a wall portion disposed at least partially along and extending above a strap support surface of the base plate, a strap guiding member having a pivot end portion pivotally coupled to the tool along the strap support surface generally opposite the wall portion, and a biasing member coupled to the strap guiding member to pivotally bias a guide end portion of the strap guiding member above at least a portion of the strap support surface. Strap disposed on the strap support surface of the base plate is guided between the wall portion the strap guiding member during tensioning, and is released therefrom upon withdrawal of the base plate from between a load and tensioned strap.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for initiating a welding arc includes a controller coupled to a power circuit for enabling the power circuit a predetermined time after an arc starter circuit has applied an arc starting signal at the power output of a welding device. The apparatus further includes a protective gas source for providing a protective gas, such as argon or helium, to the welding site. The arc starting signal ionizes the gas to aid in initiating the welding arc.

Abstract: A miniaturized Category 5 protection device for protecting telecommunication related equipment and the like from power and transient surges includes a plurality of sets of line-pair wires. Voltage suppressor circuitry is interconnected between each of the plurality of sets of line-pair wires. One of the plurality of sets of line-pair wires has a first input tip terminal, a first input ring terminal, a first output ring terminal, and a first output ring terminal. Another one of the plurality of sets of line-pair wires has a second input tip terminal, a second input ring terminal, a second output tip terminal, and a second output ring terminal.

Abstract: A stabilizer system including generally first and second pivotal components interconnected by at least one stabilizer member that dampens both compressive and tensile loads applied to the stabilizer member. The stabilizer member has opposing ends pivotally coupled to an upper anchor of one of the first and second pivotal components and a lower anchor of the other of the first and second pivotal components. The stabilizer member includes a resilient compressible member disposed in a housing between first and second substantially radial flanges of a linking member. The resilient compressible member is compressible between a first end portion of the housing and the second substantially radial flange when the housing and the linking member are in compression, and the resilient compressible member is compressible between a second end portion of the housing and the first substantially radial flange when the housing and the linking member are in tension.

Abstract: An electrical connector for configuring the supply voltage of rotary electric machines, particularly electric motors, having a plurality of electrical windings. The connector includes an electrical terminal block mountable in a bell housing of the rotary electric machine. The terminal block includes a socket having a plurality of female electrical connectors coupled to a corresponding plurality electrical windings. A male electrical connector having a plurality of jumper pins matably engageable with the female electrical connectors of the socket in a first and second configurations to electrically configure first and second winding portions of each electrical winding in parallel or in series. The connector also includes a visual electrical configuration indicator to indicate whether the male electrical connector and socket are in the first or second configurations.

Abstract: A method and system for remotely controlling operational parameters of welders by communicating over a welding cable thereof with a remote device electrically coupleable between a workpiece and an electrode holder of the welder. The operational parameters include remotely enabling and disabling the welder, remotely choking the engine thereof, remotely controlling coarse and fine current adjustment, and remotely controlling other parameters otherwise controllable from a control panel of the welder.

Abstract: An apparatus for initiating a welding arc during a lift arc start. The apparatus includes a power circuit to provide welding power to a power output, a background circuit to provide background power to the power output to maintain the welding arc during low power welding processes, and a controller. The background circuit is enabled prior to drawing the welding arc, thus providing a background voltage to the power output of the welding device. The background voltage is monitored such that the controller can detect when the welder has touched the electrode to the workpiece. Upon detection of a short, the controller enables the power circuit to provide a flow of output current to the power output.

Abstract: In a fastener-driving tool comprising a housing structure and a magazine, a structure fixed to the nosepiece is adapted to confine one of two sides of a leading portion of a strip of fasteners so as to guide the leading portion of the strip along fastener-guiding surfaces of the fixed structure. Moreover, a structure hinged to the nosepiece is adapted to be hingedly moved between an operative position and inoperative positions and is adapted when disposed in the operative position to confine the other side of the leading portion of the strip so as to guide the leading portion of the strip along fastener-guiding surfaces of the hinged structure. The hinged structure includes a polymeric cover hinged to the nosepiece, a holding member, and two wear guards, which are spaced one above the other, which are made of metal, and which are mounted so as to define the guiding surfaces of the hinged structure.

Abstract: A mig welding gun has a handle with a longitudinal centerline and a hole with an axis transverse to the centerline. A trigger is received in the handle for rotation about an axis perpendicular to and offset from the hole axis. A spring biases the trigger to a released position whereat the gun is off. Applying a squeeze force to the trigger rotates it to a depressed position whereat the gun is on. A pin is slidable in the trigger to engage the handle hole when the trigger is in the depressed position. Removing the squeeze force while the pin engages the handle hole locks the trigger in the depressed position. Momentarily reapplying the squeeze force to the trigger causes the pin to disengage from the handle hole and enable the trigger to return to the released position. In a modified embodiment, the pin is engageable with a chap inside the hole.

Abstract: An adapter enables a conventional MIG welding machine to successfully use spoked wire wheels on which weld wire is wound. The adapter assembles over a rotatable hub that is also conventional. The adapter has a notch that mates without backlash with a post on the hub, thereby assuring that the hub and adapter rotate together. The adapter also has tabs that engage spokes of the wire wheel without backlash. Accordingly, the wire wheel and hub rotate together without backlash. A frictional drag on the hub is transmitted by the adapter to the wire wheel, so that normal operation of the welding machine does not cause wire wheel coasting and unraveling of the weld wire. The adapter allows field retrofit of existing welding machines so they can use the wire wheel in place of prior wire spools. In a modified embodiment, the adapter is made of two parts that are angularly adjustable relative to each other to enable the adapter to engage the spokes of different wire wheels.

Abstract: An engine driven welder has a fuel tank with a filler tube that extends upwardly from a reservoir in the machine base. The filler tube upper end and a cap thereon are below the machine top cover. The machine top cover has a cutout into which is installed a grommet that closes the cutout and that fully protects the filler tube upper end and the cap. The grommet has a hole that seals over a top portion of the filler tube such that any spilled fuel does not leak inside the machine. The filler tube has an expansion space that prevents splashback and spillover during fueling. An angled tail pipe directs engine exhaust away from the welding machine in any desired direction.

Abstract: A modular robotic welding station comprises a base skid to which is mounted robotic welding equipment. The base skid defines one or more docking stations. Satellite modules can have either stationary tables or turn tables that hold the workpieces to be welded. The satellite modules are detachably and interchangeably docked to selected base skid docking stations to thereby create customized workstations for the workpieces. The docking stations, satellite modules, and tables are designed to accurately locate the workpieces relative to the welding equipment. By detaching the satellite modules from the skid base, the satellite modules and skid base are easily transported individually from one location to another. A safety fence secured to the skid base can be arranged in different configurations to suit whether or not a satellite module is docked at a docking station.

Abstract: In a roofing washer-dispensing and fastener-driving machine, which has a fastener-feeding tube, a fastener-engaging pawl is mounted operatively to the tube, near its upper end. The pawl is pivotable between a normal position wherein the pawl is arranged to engage a fastener dropped into the tube so as to prevent the fastener from dropping through the tube and a pivoted position wherein the pawl is arranged to disengage from the fastener. An elongate rod is arranged to pivot the pawl from the normal position into the pivoted position when the machine is operated.