US2783799A - Nail set - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1957 B. A. HART NAIL SET Filed Sept. 17, 1954 INVEN TOR. @i?! J/art c, 72 4, YUPA/EY Unite States Patent NAIL SET Bill A. Hart, HighlandPark, Mich.

Application September 17, 1954, Serial No. 456,748

3 Claims. (Cl. 145-46) This invention relates to improvements in a nail setting or countersinking tool.

In the use of conventional nail sets, considerable skill and care must be employed to countersink a nail head without damaging the adjacent woodwork, so that nail setting is ordinarily considered to be an expensive time consuming operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, highly efficient, and economically manufactured nail setting device which can be quickly and conveniently applied to the countersinking of finishing nails and the like without permitting injury to the woodwork.

Another object is to provide a nail set device having a base portion and a vertically reciprocable nail setting member, the base portion being adapted to slide along the surface of a work piece and having a forwardly and downwardly opening bottom recess therein. A rear wall portion of the recess comprises a vertical stop or seat portion adapted to seat against a nail head projecting from the work piece, thereby to locate the nail setting member directly over the nail head in position .to coon tersink the latter when the vertically reciprocable memher is driven downwardly. Diverging forwardly from the stop or seat, the walls of the recess also comprise guides, whereby after the countersinking of one nail, the nail set device is readily slid forwardly on its base portion along the work piece toward the next successive nail head. As the latter nail head enters the forward opening of the recess, it is guided by the rearwardly converging sidewalls of the recess to a countersinking position seated against the stop directly under the vertically reciprocable nail setting member.

Another object is to provide such a device wherein said base comprises rubber-like material, the rearwardly converging guidewalls being resiliently yieldable at the region of the stop to conform to nail heads of different diameters located directly under the nail setting mem ber.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a nail setting device embodying the present invention, portions of the body of the device being shown in vertical longitudinal mid-section.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom view showing the device seated against a nail head to be countersunk.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying draw ing's, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose 'of description and not of limitation.

Referring in more particularity to the drawings, a nail setting device comprising a body 10 of rigid material, such as steel for 'example,.having .a rearwardly extending cylindrical shank or handle portion 11, is shown in position for 'countersinking a nailhead Sllfin'to a work piece 29. The rear portion of the handle 11 ta: pers conically and terminates in a conventional nailpunch end 12. Integral with the body '10 and coaxial with the handle 11 is a forward boss 13 adapted to be pounded by a hammer. Thus the device may be employed vertically as a conventional nail set in the countersinking of nail heads adjacent moldings or walls wherein the device as described hereinafter cannot be conveniently used.

In the normal operating position of the device as illustrated in Fig. 1, the handle 11 inclines slightly rearwardly to facilitate its being gripped in the hand of the operator. Extending vertically into the top of the body 10 is a cylindrical bore 14 for a vertically reciprocable nail setting or punching member 15. A lower conical portion Idol? the latter coaxial with the bore 14 tapers downwardly and terminates at its lower end in a customary nail set. Reciprocal within the bore 14 in hearing relation with the side-walls thereof is an enlarged annular portion 17 of the member 15 which underlies a retaining collar 18 screwed into an enlarged upper portion of the bore 14. Above the enlargement 17, the member 15 extends cylindrically upwardly through the collar 18 in sliding. relation. .Downward movement :of the member 15 is adjus'tably limited by the enlarged head of a movement limiting screw 19 screwed coa'x'ia'lly into the upper end of the member 15 and locked in adjusted position by a locking nut 20 screwed on'th'e threaded portion of screw 19 tightly against the member 15.

In operation, the member 15 is yieldingly maintained at its upper limit of movement, Fig. 1, by a coil spring 21 under compression between the body of the member 15, at the upper end of the nail setting portion 16, and a bottom spring retainer portion 22 of the body 10 at the base of the bore 14. Opening coaxially into the bore 14 through the spring retainer 22 is a bore 23 through which the nail setting member 16 is reciprocable.

Underlying and bonded to the body 10 is a base member 24 of resiliently deformable rubber or rubber-like material having an upper annulus 25 interlocked with the body 10 within an annular channel thereof. Coaxial with the bore 23 is a bore 26 within the base 24 which opens downwardly into the rear of a forwardly enlarg ing and bottom opening recess in the forward bottom portion of the base 24. The sidewalls 27 of the latter bottom opening recess are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical longitudinal midplane of the device and diverge forwardly, from a point immediately rearwardly of the vertical axis of the nail setting member 16, to the forward edge of the base 24, whereby the aforesaid bottom opening recess also opens forwardly, Figs. 2 and 3. The underside of the base 24 comprises a smooth flat surface 28 adapted to glide along the surface of the workpiece 29 having one or more nailheads 30 projecting'therefrom prior to being countersunk.

In operation, the tool or device is gripped by the handle portion 11 and placed with the base surface 28 resting on the surface of the workpiece 29 at a location rearwardly of the nail head 30 to be countersunk. The device is then slid forwardly along the workpiece 29 until the nail head 30 is caused to enter the forward enlarged opening between the sidewalls 27. Upon continued forward movement of the device, the converging walls 27 guide the nailhead 30 to the nail setting position with the punching member 16 aligned directly over the head 30. A hammer blow on the enlarged head of the screw 19 drives the member -16 downwardly, countersinking the nailhead 30 to the extent permitted by engagement between the head of screw 19 and the upper surface of the collar 18. The depth of the countersink is suitably adjusted by turning the screw 19 after first loosening the nut 20.

By virtue of the base 24 of rubber or rubber-like material, the latter is resiliently yieldable to prevent marring of the workpiece 29 during the oounter sinking operation. Furthermore, by virtue of the yieldability of the sidewalls 27, the device 'is readily adapted for use with nailheads of different diameters. Thus as illustrated in Fig. 4 where the diameter of the nailhead 30:: shown is somewhat larger than the diameter of the nailhead 30, the sidewalls 27 will yield sufiiciently to permit centering of the head 30a directly beneath the setting member 16. The operator will vary the forward pressure on the handle 11 in accordance with the diameter of the nailhead to be countersunk, thereby to cause the latter to be centered in each instance directly under the setting member 16.

I claim:

1. In a nail punch adapted to register with the projecting head of a nail to be countersunk, a body having a base and also having a forwardly opening notch in said base for receiving said nail head upon forward movement of said body, said notch having sides comprising guides converging rearwardly to seat portions to seat against said nail head, and a reciprocable member mounted on said body to shift upwardly and downwardly, said member having a nail punching portion overlying said notch forwardly of said seat portions and being shiftable downwardly into said notch, said member also having an upper head adapted to receive a blow to drive said nail punching portion into said notch, and means yieldingly urging said member upwardly, the sides of said notch at said seat portions being of resiliently deformable material yieldable to conform to the diameter of said nail head seated thereat.

2. In a nail punch, a body having a lower gliding surface adapted to slide along the surface of a material to be nailed and also having a forwardly and downwardly opening notch therein adapted upon forward silding of said gliding surface along said material to receive the projecting head of a nail to be countersunk, a vertically reciprocable punch mounted on said body and having a lower end overlying said notch and adapted to be driven thereinto to countersink said head, means yieldingly urging said punch upwardly, said notch having a forward opening appreciably oversize with respect to the diameter of said head and also having sides converging rearwardly from said forward opening and cooperating upon forward movement of said body to cam said head into position registering with said lower end.

3. In a nail punch, a body having a handle portion and a lower base portion, said base portion having a lower gliding surface adapted to slide along the surface of a material to be nailed and having a forwardly and downwardly opening notch therein adapted upon forward sliding of said base portion along said material to receive the projecting head of a nail to be countersunk, a vertically reciprocable punch mounted on said body and having a lower end overlying said notch and adapted to be driven thereinto to countersink said head, means yieldingly urging said punch upwardly, said notch having sides converging rearwardly from its forward opening and cooperating upon forward movement of said body to cam said head into position registering with said lower end, said sides adjacent said position also comprising resilently deformable materal adapted to conform to nail heads of different diameters at said position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,500,253 Miller July 8, 1924 2,078,012 Newell Apr. 20, 1937 2,094,459 Lipson Sept. 28, 1937 2,557,000 Holmes June 12, 1951 2,669,896 Clough Feb. 23, 1954

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