Patents by Inventor David D. Flora

David D. Flora has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5065652
    Abstract: A scroll saw has a base including integral walls forming a gear casing, a frame assembly mounted on the base, and lower and upper oscillating arm members pivotally mounted on the frame assembly. The gear casing houses gear and counterweight assemblies for driving and counterbalancing the oscillating motion of the lower and upper arm members. A saw blade is removably mounted between corresponding free ends of the lower and upper reciprocating arm members. The ends of the saw blade are prepositioned between a pair of blade holders, and the entire assembly of blade and blade holders is then attached as a unit to the free ends of the arm members. Blade tension is adjusted by means of a tensioning system that indexes blade tension to rotation of a tension knob. The saw further includes a nonflexible tube which functions as a combination airblaster and blade guard for directing an air stream into a cutting area to remove sawdust and other debris while preventing accidental contact with the saw blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1991
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Legler, Robert L. Bartlett, David D. Flora
  • Patent number: 5058476
    Abstract: A scroll saw has a base including integral walls forming a gear casing, a frame assembly mounted on the base, and lower and upper oscillating arm members pivotally mounted on the frame assembly. The gear casing houses gear and counterweight assemblies for driving and counterbalancing the oscillating motion of the lower and upper arm members. A saw blade is removably mounted between corresponding free ends of the lower and upper arm members. The ends of the saw blade are prepositioned between a pair of blade holders, and the entire assembly of blade and blade holders is then attached as a unit to the free ends of the arm members. Blade tension is adjusted by means of a tensioning system that indexes blade tension to rotation of a tension knob. The saw further includes a nonflexible tube which functions as a combination airblaster and blade guard for directing an air stream into a cutting area to remove sawdust and other debris while preventing accidental contact with the saw blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1991
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Legler, Robert L. Bartlett, David D. Flora
  • Patent number: 5004027
    Abstract: A biscuit joiner for cutting semi-elliptical slots in opposing edges of workpieces which are to be joined along those edges includes a housing adapted to be mounted upon the quill of a multi-purpose woodworking tool, which housing encloses a rotary saw blade adapted to be attached to a spindle projecting from the quill on which the housing is mounted. A spring loaded guide projects from the front face of the housing and has a slot therethrough, so that when the front face of the guide is engaged by an edge of a workpiece to be slotted the guide can be pushed inwardly against spring pressure, allowing the rotary saw blade to be exposed and form a slot in the edge of the workpiece. Adjustable stops are provided on the guide so that a desired depth of cut will automatically be made after adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1991
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Legler, Harold E. Folkerth, David D. Flora, Barry L. Hile
  • Patent number: 5000237
    Abstract: A guard as disclosed for use with a woodworking tool such as a jointer having a worktable, a cutter head and a guide fence for guiding a workpiece through the jointer. The guard is pivotally mounted to the table and is biased toward the guide fence such that it covers the cutter head when a workpiece is not present. The guard includes a body portion and flexible fingers formed integrally with and extending from the body portion toward the guide fence. The flexible fingers act as a featherboard during a jointing operation and the pivotal movement of the guard may be limited such that the fingers engage a workpiece as it is fed through the jointer to thereby apply a biasing force against the workpiece toward the guide fence. The fingers further act to resist movement of the workpiece in a direction opposite to the feed direction during a kickback situation and thereby provide greater control over the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Berkeley, David D. Flora
  • Patent number: 4972885
    Abstract: A power module for providing power to any one of a plurality of special purpose woodworking tools has a variable speed headstock on a base, and a tool support carriage on the base. The tool support carriage is formed with two pairs of tube-receiving sockets for receiving the support tubes of a special purpose woodworking tool. The sockets are formed at two different levels above the base, such levels corresponding to the difference in spacing of the input shaft connections with respect to the support tubes. The base is mounted for movement toward and away from the headstock, providing alignment of the input shaft with the headstock hub. A variable speed drive in the headstock employs an intermediate three-section pulley of the variator type, and a speed control knob is connected to position the variable speed drive to provide for the selection of speed for any particular tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Legler, David D. Flora, William J. Schaefer, Jr., Steven A. Snyder
  • Patent number: 4926916
    Abstract: A biscuit joiner for cutting semi-elliptical slots in opposing edges of workpieces which are to be joined along those edges includes a housing adapted to be mounted upon the quill of a multi-purpose woodworking tool, which housing encloses a rotary saw blade adapted to be attached to a spindle projecting from the quill on which the housing is mounted. A spring loaded guide projects from the front face of the housing and has a slot therethrough, so that when the front face of the guide is engaged by an edge of a workpiece to be slotted the guide can be pushed inwardly against spring pressure, allowing the rotary saw blade to be exposed and form a slot in the edge of the workpiece. Adjustable stops are provided on the guide so that a desired depth of cut will automatically be made after adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Legler, Harold E. Folkerth, David D. Flora
  • Patent number: 4899793
    Abstract: A duplicating system, especially for use with a multipurpose woodworking machine capable of performing lathe turning operations. The system includes a support table, a carriage adapted to be slidably mounted on the machine, and a locking rack and pinion for raising and lowering the table relative to the carriage. A tool support is positioned on the table and includes a base having a low friction pad for engaging the table top, a follower for contacting a pattern, and a multi-edge cutting tool rotatably mounted on a tool rod for engaging a workpiece. An insert guide is mounted on the tool rod to hold the cutting tool in position. The base has a set screw which engages a circumferential groove in the shank of the tool rod so that the cutting tool can be quickly and accurately positioned relative to the follower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1990
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven A. Snyder, Jack Smith, David D. Flora, Robert L. Bartlett
  • Patent number: 4694713
    Abstract: A duplicating system, especially for use with a multipurpose woodworking machine capable of performing lathe turning operations. The system includes a support table, a carriage adapted to be slidably mounted on the machine, and a locking rack and pinion for raising and lowering the table relative to the carriage. A tool support is positioned on the table and includes a base having a low friction pad for engaging the table top, a follower for contacting a pattern, and a multi-edge cutting tool rotatably mounted on a tool rod for engaging a workpiece. An insert guide is mounted on the tool rod to hold the cutting tool in position. The base has a set screw which engages a circumferential groove in the shank of the tool rod so that the cutting tool can be quickly and accurately positioned relative to the follower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: Shopsmith, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven A. Snyder, Jack Smith, David D. Flora, Robert L. Bartlett
  • Patent number: 4643016
    Abstract: A hand operated bending tool for forming a clean bend in a venetian blind slat includes a generally U-shaped upward-opening bottom member having a width which exceeds the width of the slat to be bent and having a length proportioned to receive one leg of a slat therein. The bottom member has a low friction curved portion leading into the interior of the member, permitting the slat to roll thereover during the bending operation. An elastomer portion in the bottom member, adjacent the forward end, defines a resilient slat-gripping surface to engage the slat legs and prevent sliding movement of the leg in the channel member during bending. A U-shaped, downwardly-opening top member is received within the bottom member, the top member having a remote end pivotally attached to the bottom member for movement between a raised position to a lowered position in which the upper top member is substantially nested within the bottom member. A slat leg therein is pressed against the gripping surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1987
    Inventors: Frank G. Barberine, David D. Flora