QUARTER SHEET SANDER
An orbital sander includes a housing, a drive unit within the housing having an electric motor defining a rotational axis, and a drive shaft coupled for co-rotation with the motor about the rotational axis having a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft. The fan includes a main body having a plurality of fan blades, an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan, and an interruption region located opposite the lower counterweight with fan blades located within the interruption region having a reduced mass. The orbital sander further includes a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet that is coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/221,702 filed on Jul. 14, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a powered oscillating tool, and more particularly to a battery powered orbital sander.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOrbital abrading machines generally include a manually manipulatable housing, a motor supported by the housing coupled to a drive shaft driven for rotation about a drive axis, and an assembly for mounting a pad for abrading a work surface for orbital movement about the drive axis. Depending on the nature of the orbit, such an abrading machine can be used for coarse abrading work or for fine abrading work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides, in one aspect, an orbital sander including a housing, a drive unit within the housing having an electric motor defining a rotational axis, and a drive shaft coupled for co-rotation with the motor about the rotational axis having a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft. The fan includes a main body having a plurality of fan blades, an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan, and an interruption region located opposite the lower counterweight with fan blades located within the interruption region having a reduced mass. The orbital sander further includes a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet that is coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, an orbital sander including a housing, a drive unit within the housing having an electric motor defining a rotational axis, a drive shaft coupled for co-rotation with the motor about the rotational axis having a lower portion, and a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft. The orbital sander further includes a dust collection portion integrated with the housing for partially housing a dust collection system. The dust collection system includes a shroud portion for partially enclosing the fan to form a seal between the housing and the fan, a mating interface having a latch for selectively receiving a dust bag attachment, and a latching mechanism for hooking onto the latch to secure the dust bag attachment. The orbital sander further includes a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet that is coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, an orbital sander including a housing, a drive unit within the housing having an electric motor with a motor shaft extending from the motor, a drive shaft coupled to the motor and offset from the motor shaft, the drive shaft defining a rotational axis and including a lower portion, and a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft. The fan includes a main body having a plurality of fan blades, an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body, and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan. The orbital sander further includes a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet that is coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe sheet sander 10 also includes a baseplate 46 that supports the main housing 14 and a paper retention system including a front clamp 38 and a rear clamp 42. A foam pad 50 is attached to the baseplate 46 (e.g., via screws) and supports a sanding sheet 164 (
With continued reference to
Each of the upper and lower sections 136, 140 can be fastened together by a plurality of fastening points 152 and/or corresponding form fit features 156, 158 located on the respective sections 136, 140. In some embodiments, the fastening points 152 can be connected using conventional fasteners, such as screws, a snap-fit arrangement, or a combination of both. The dust collection system 120 also includes a mating interface 124 that is formed completely by the lower section 140 to selectively receive a dust bag attachment 128. The dust bag 128 can be mounted to the interface 124 via a latching mechanism 144 that hooks onto a latch 125 present on the surface of the interface 124.
During operation of the sander 10, the suction generated by the fan 86 sucks dust through the plurality of holes 52 (
With reference to
In some circumstances, it is advantageous to implement the drive unit 254 in the sander 10 because the orientation of the drive unit 254 relocates the center of gravity 400 of the sander 10 closer to the center of the baseplate 246 relative to conventional orbital sanders with a direct drive system. Because the center of gravity is located further inward from the edges of the baseplate 46, there is a reduced likelihood that the sander 10 could tip over when the battery pack 31 is mounted on the receptacle 26. In addition, by locating the motor 258 offset from the drive shaft 262, the sander 10 feels more balanced during use when compared to use of conventional direct-drive orbital sanders. Furthermore, the drive unit 254 allows the user to customize the gear ratios of the pulleys 255, 257 to ensure the maximum efficiency for the selected size and type of electric motor 258. For example, the user can customize the gear ratios of the pulleys 255, 257 such that the drive unit 254 is more efficient than a comparable direct-drive sander using the same size and type of electric motor. Therefore, the belt drive unit 254 allows the same sized orbital sander to have a longer runtime when compared to the same sized direct-drive orbital sanders.
Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. An orbital sander comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive unit within the housing, the drive unit including an electric motor defining a rotational axis, a drive shaft coupled for co-rotation with the motor about the rotational axis,
- the drive shaft including a lower portion, and a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft, the fan including a main body having a plurality of fan blades, an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan, and an interruption region located opposite the lower counterweight, wherein the fan blades located within the interruption region have a reduced mass; and
- a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet, the baseplate being coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
2. The orbital sander of claim 1, further comprising
- a motor housing for housing the electric motor;
- a battery receptacle for selectively receiving a battery pack to provide electrical power to the motor; and
- a dust collection portion integrated with the housing for partially housing a dust collection system.
3. The orbital sander of claim 2, further comprising
- a paper retention system including a front clamp supported on the baseplate, and a rear clamp supported on an opposite side of the baseplate as the dust collection portion.
4. The orbital sander of claim 1, wherein the fan blades located within the interruption region have a height of 1 millimeter.
5. The orbital sander of claim 2, wherein the dust collection system includes a shroud portion for partially enclosing the fan blades to form a seal between the housing and the fan blades, and a mating interface having a latch for selectively receiving a dust bag attachment.
6. The orbital sander of claim 5, wherein the dust collection system further includes a latching mechanism that hooks onto the latch on the mating interface to selectively secure the dust bag attachment.
7. The orbital sander of claim 3, wherein the paper retention system further includes one or more stop features mounted to the baseplate for preventing flexion of the front clamp.
8. The orbital sander of claim 2, wherein the battery receptacle defines a battery insertion axis, and wherein the battery pack receptacle includes a lower portion that defines a plane obliquely oriented with respect to the battery insertion axis to create a gap between the battery pack and the battery receptacle when the battery pack is mounted to the battery receptacle, the plane and battery insertion axis defining therebetween an included angle between 0 and 10 degrees.
9. An orbital sander comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive unit within the housing, the drive unit including an electric motor defining a rotational axis, a drive shaft coupled for co-rotation with the motor about the rotational axis,
- the drive shaft including a lower portion, and a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft; and
- a dust collection portion integrated with the housing for partially housing a dust collection system, the dust collection system including a shroud portion for partially enclosing the fan to form a seal between the housing and the fan, a mating interface having a latch for selectively receiving a dust bag attachment, and a latching mechanism for hooking onto the latch to secure the dust bag attachment; and
- a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet, the baseplate being coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
10. The orbital sander of claim 9, wherein the seal creates a vacuum effect routing dust particles along a dust path through the interface and into the dust bag attachment.
11. The orbital sander of claim 9, further comprising
- a motor housing for housing the electric motor; and
- a battery receptacle for selectively receiving a battery pack to provide electrical power to the motor.
12. The orbital sander of claim 9 further comprising:
- a paper retention system including a front clamp supported on the baseplate, and a rear clamp supported on an opposite side of the baseplate as the dust collection portion.
13. The orbital sander of claim 9, wherein the fan further includes a main body having a plurality of fan blades, an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan, and an interruption region located opposite the lower counterweight, and wherein the fan blades located within the region have a reduced mass.
14. The orbital sander of claim 12, further comprising
- a foam pad attached to the baseplate for supporting the sanding sheet, wherein the foam pad extends beyond one or more sides of the baseplate acting as a buffer between the baseplate and a work surface.
15. The orbital sander of claim 13, wherein the fan blades located within the interruption region have a height of 1 millimeter.
16. An orbital sander comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive unit within the housing, the drive unit including an electric motor having a motor shaft extending from the motor, a drive shaft coupled to the motor and offset from the motor shaft, the drive shaft defining a rotational axis and including a lower portion, and a fan rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft, the fan including
- a main body having a plurality of fan blades;
- an upper counterweight located on one side of the main body and a lower counterweight located on an opposite side of the main body for balancing the operation of the fan; and
- a baseplate for selectively mounting a sanding sheet, the baseplate being coupled to the lower portion of the drive shaft for orbital rotation about the rotational axis.
17. The orbital sander of claim 16, further comprising
- a first pulley rotatably driven by the motor shaft;
- a second pulley coupled to the drive shaft oriented parallel to the first pulley; and
- a belt extending between the first and second pulleys for transmitting torque from the motor shaft to the drive shaft.
18. The orbital sander of claim 16, wherein the fan further includes an interruption region located opposite the lower counterweight, and wherein the fan blades located within the interruption region have a reduced mass.
19. The orbital sander of claim 16, further comprising
- a motor housing for housing the electric motor; and
- a battery receptacle for selectively receiving a battery pack to provide electrical power to the motor.
20. The orbital sander of claim 19, wherein when the battery pack is mounted to the battery receptacle, the center of gravity is located substantially over a center of the baseplate.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 14, 2022
Publication Date: Jan 19, 2023
Inventors: Jacob N. Zimmerman (Pewaukee, WI), Andrew R. Schauer (Pewaukee, WI), Christopher J. VanAckeren (Waukesha, WI)
Application Number: 17/864,853