Abstract: A power tool includes a housing having a motor housing portion, a transmission housing portion, and a handle portion. The motor housing portion includes a top surface generally opposite a bottom surface. A motor is disposed in the motor housing portion. A transmission is disposed in the transmission housing portion. A power switch is disposed on the handle portion. An electronic mode select switch is disposed on a surface of the motor housing portion. A first gripping region is on a top portion of the motor housing portion, a second gripping region is on the handle portion, and a third gripping region is on a bottom portion of the motor housing portion. The first gripping region includes a first concave recess on a first side of the motor housing portion and a second concave recess on a second side of the motor housing portion.

Abstract: A power tool includes a housing, a motor disposed in the housing, a motor controller disposed in the housing and electrically coupled to the motor, and a transmission disposed in the housing and coupled to the motor. A tool bit holder is rotatably driven by the motor via the transmission and receives a tool bit for rotatably driving threaded fasteners. A power switch and an electronic model select switch are actuatable from outside the housing and are coupled to the motor controller. The power switch controls power delivery to the motor. The electronic mode select switch is configured to select between at least a first mode of operation in which power delivery to the motor is controlled by actuation of the power switch and an electronic lock on mode in which continuous power is delivered to the motor upon a single actuation and release of the power switch.

Abstract: A stop lever is provided for a power tool having a gear case and a guard member. The reversible stop lever is coupled to the gear case via a fastener. The stop lever includes a first arm and a second arm, and the fastener is removable to position the stop lever such that the first arm or the second arm of the stop lever engages the guard collar. The first arm includes a first surface and a second surface that are angled such that the guard collar can be rotated in a one direction without actuation of the second arm, but not in the opposite direction. The second arm of the stop lever includes surfaces that are angled to prevent rotation of the guard collar in either direction unless the second arm is actuated about the fastener.

Abstract: A power tool is provided with a housing and a tethering attachment assembly attached to the housing and adapted to facilitate connection of a lanyard to the power tool. The tethering attachment assembly includes a substantially U-shaped hook portion including a coil element comprising metallic material that substantially resiliently retains its state with application of force up to a limit, and is permanently plastically deformable upon application of force exceeding the limit, and two extended portions extending from ends of the coil element and attached to the housing.

Abstract: A power tool is provided with a housing and a tethering attachment assembly attached to the housing and adapted to facilitate connection of a lanyard to the power tool. The tethering attachment assembly includes a substantially U-shaped hook portion including a coil element comprising metallic material that substantially resiliently retains its state with application of force up to a limit, and is permanently plastically deformable upon application of force exceeding the limit, and two extended portions extending from ends of the coil element and attached to the housing.

Abstract: A tethering attachment assembly is provided for attachment to an apparatus to facilitate connection of a lanyard to the apparatus. The tethering attachment assembly includes a pair of posts and a coil element including metallic material that substantially resiliently retains its state with application of force up to a limit, and is permanently plastically deformable upon application of force exceeding the limit. The coil element has two ends attached to the elongated posts and adapted to form a substantially U-shaped hook when the elongated posts are attached to the apparatus. A sleeve is tubularly disposed around the coil element to substantially cover the coil element.

Abstract: A guard lock for a powered apparatus having a neck extending from a gear case is provided. The guard lock includes a guard member having a body portion for at least partially surrounding a working member of the power tool and a collar connected to and extending from the body portion, where the collar includes multiple windows that are spaced from one another. The guard lock also includes a stop lever coupled to the gear case via a fastener about which the stop lever may pivot, the stop lever including an engagement portion and a distant arm portion, and a biasing member for biasing the engagement portion of the stop lever toward a window of the collar. When the engagement portion is positioned within a window, rotation of the collar is permitted in a first direction where the window engages a first surface of the engagement portion but is prevented in a second direction where the window engages a second surface of the engagement portion.

Abstract: A power tool is provided including a having a field case portion and a gear case portion, a motor disposed in the field case portion of the housing, a fan rotatably connected to the motor, intake conduits disposed along the housing, and a particle separation assembly in fluid communication with the intake conduits. The particle separation assembly includes a baffle and a centrifugal chamber, where the baffle is operable to direct airflow from the intake conduits into the centrifugal chamber in a cyclonic path, and the centrifugal chamber includes a radial gap forming a particle dispersion port in the cyclonic path of the airflow to eject contamination from the airflow. Additionally or alternatively, the centrifugal chamber includes air-directing fins arranged angularly to direct contamination from the airflow towards the particle dispersion port.

Abstract: A stop lever is provided for a power tool having a gear case and a guard member. The reversible stop lever is coupled to the gear case via a fastener. The stop lever includes a first arm and a second arm, and the fastener is removable to position the stop lever such that the first arm or the second arm of the stop lever engages the guard collar. The first arm includes a first surface and a second surface that are angled such that the guard collar can be rotated in a one direction without actuation of the second arm, but not in the opposite direction. The second arm of the stop lever includes surfaces that are angled to prevent rotation of the guard collar in either direction unless the second arm is actuated about the fastener.

Abstract: A tethering attachment assembly is provided for attachment to an apparatus to facilitate connection of a lanyard to the apparatus. The tethering attachment assembly includes a pair of posts and a coil element including metallic material that substantially resiliently retains its state with application of force up to a limit, and is permanently plastically deformable upon application of force exceeding the limit. The coil element has two ends attached to the elongated posts and adapted to form a substantially U-shaped hook when the elongated posts are attached to the apparatus. A sleeve is tubularly disposed around the coil element to substantially cover the coil element.

Abstract: A power tool is provided including a having a field case portion and a gear case portion, a motor disposed in the field case portion of the housing, a gear set disposed in the gear case portion of the housing and operatively connected to the motor via a motor spindle, a fan rotatably connected to the motor, a plurality of intake conduits disposed along the housing, and a particle separation assembly in fluid communication with the plurality of intake conduits. The particle separation assembly includes a baffle and a centrifugal chamber, where the baffle is operable to direct airflow from the intake conduits into the centrifugal chamber in a cyclonic path, and the centrifugal chamber includes a radial gap forming a particle dispersion port in the cyclonic path of the airflow to eject contamination from the airflow. Additionally or alternatively, the centrifugal chamber includes a plurality of air-directing fins arranged angularly to direct contamination from the airflow towards the particle dispersion port.

Abstract: A guard lock for a powered apparatus having a neck extending from a gear case is provided. The guard lock includes a guard member having a body portion for at least partially surrounding a working member of the power tool and a collar connected to and extending from the body portion, where the collar includes multiple windows that are spaced from one another. The guard lock also includes a stop lever coupled to the gear case via a fastener about which the stop lever may pivot, the stop lever including an engagement portion and a distant arm portion, and a biasing member for biasing the engagement portion of the stop lever toward a window of the collar. When the engagement portion is positioned within a window, rotation of the collar is permitted in a first direction where the window engages a first surface of the engagement portion but is prevented in a second direction where the window engages a second surface of the engagement portion.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward a shield assembly for a handheld tool device such as an angle grinder. The shield assembly is selectively repositionable with respect to the cutting tool. A lock mechanism secures the shield assembly in discrete rotational positions relative to the cutting tool. The shield assembly includes a guard member and a bumper member, and an alignment feature configured to align the relative positions of guard member and the bumper member, thereby positing the members in a predetermined relative orientation. With this configuration, the shield assembly is selectively repositionable via a “hands-free” mechanism that permits a user to adjust the position of the shield assembly by simply contacting the shield assembly against a work surface.