US2847054A - Forming and bending tool with removable bending pin - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 12, 1958 H. E. SUT'CLIFFE 2,847,054

FORMING AND smunmc TOOL wmx REMOVABLE BENDING PIN Filed 001' 5, 1956 IN VEN TOR. [Ker-01a E. .fi'afZ-Zif/I:

awaw United States Patent FORMING AND BENDING TOOL WITH REMOVABLE BENDING PIN Harold E. Sutclitfe, Hope, R. I., assignor to Weldmore Company, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application October 5, 1956, Serial No. 614,297

4 Claims. (Cl. 153-46) The present invention relates generally to forming and bending apparatus, and has particular reference to a non-production type tool readily adaptable for home and light shop use.

A primary object of the instant invention is the provision of a forming and bending tool which may be easily manipulated to bend elongated rods and bars into a wide variety of shapes and curvatures.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a forming and bending tool that is capable of bending, by manual means, high-strength material, such as tool steel rods and bars.

Another important object of the instant invention is the provision of a tool of the character described having a high degree of strength and durability, whereby it is capable of bending tubular and pipe stock and also may be readily adapted for the bending of sheet metal and the like.

A further object, of the instant invention is the provision of a forming and bending tool that is relatively. light and compact, and which hence may be easily carried around for use at any desired location.

Still another object, of my invention is the provision of forming and bending apparatus adapted to be manually operated, which apparatus is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which additionally is extremely simple and versatile in operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

in the drawingswhich illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me, for carrying out my invention:

Fig. l is a plan view of bending and forming apparatus constructed in accordance with the instant invention;

Fig 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of the slidable bearing element which forms a part of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective detail of the. bean ing handle which forms a part, of the. instant invention;

Fig. 5-, is a fragmentary view, partly in, section, showing the center pin and pivotal, interconnection between the relatively rotatable arms which form, a part ofthe instant invention; and,

g- 6 is zp r pfiqtivedetail of, a modified bending pin which may be used in CQnnection with the instant invention.

It hasbeen found desirableto provide a forming and bending tool of highly simplified construction which may be manually operated to provide a wide variety of bending and forming operations, and particularly, the bending of elongated bars and rods. Prior art apparatus of this type, such as, for example, apparatus known as the Di-Acre Benderfis not only large and cumbersome and relatively expensive, but also lacks the desired versatility, since all bends are made on a flat" surface. This 2,847,054 Patented Aug. 12, 1958 prior art type of apparatus has been designed primarily for production precision bending, and while advantageous to that end, it falls far short in meeting the need for an inexpensive, portable, easily-operable tool, particularly adaptable for non-production work, such as home and light shop use. The instant invention is directed toward the fulfillment of this need, and while not directed toward the provision of apparatus capable of doing critical and high-precision type bending, the instant invention nevertheless has proven to be particularly useful in connection with such jobs as the bending and forming of Wrought-iron furniture, the forming of hanging rods for pipes and the like in connection with steam fitting work, and other similar operations wherein the bends, curves, and angles being formed are not highly critical. Furthermore, as will hereinafter become apparent, the instant invention is highly versatile, since the bending operation is not performed on a fiat surface, and hence, a single given rod, bar or wire may be provided with a plurality of widely assorted bends and curves extending in a number of dilferent planes. In addition, my apparatus may be readily and easily adjusted to receive rods and bars of different thicknesses, and means are also provided whereby the radius of curvature being effected may be varied. The simplicity, ease of operation, inexpensiveness, versatility, and rugged durability of my novel and improved forming and bending tool will readily become apparent as the detailed description of my invention proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be noted that my forming and bending tool comprises a pair of elongated arms 10 and 12, preferably, but not necessarily, square in cross section. As will be seen most clearly from Fig. l, the arm 10 is provided at one of its extremities with a slightly offset circular portion 14, having an internally threaded opening 16 extending centrally therethrough (note Fig. 5). At the corresponding end of the arm 12 there is provided an upwardly extending threaded stud 18 which is adapted to threadedly engage within the aforedescribed aperture 16, whereby the arms 10 and 12 are pivotally connected to each other for relative rotation. Stud 18 is provided with a centrally disposed bore 20, within which is positioned an elongated bending pin 22, said pin extending substantially above the upper surface of the arm 10, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

Slidably mounted on the arm 12 is a bearing post assembly generally designated at 24 (Fig. 3) and comprising upper and lower bar members 26 and 28, respectively, which members are joined together at adjacent corners by means of posts 30 and 32 welded or otherwise secured thereto. As will be apparent, the members 26 and 28 are preferably of square cross section and are adapted to slidingly engage opposite surfaces of the arm 12. The posts 30 and 32 are likewise spaced apart sufiiciently for the assembly 24 to be slidably mounted on the arm 12 until the desired position is reached, as hereinafter to be more fully described.

As will be noted, when the assembly 24 is slidably moved to operative position, the posts 30 and 32 are located at the end of the assembly 24 which is most closely adjacent to the pivot between arms 10 and 12. The members 26 and 28 are not joined at their opposite ends in any way, and hence the assembly 24 may pivot slightly with respect to its arm 12 (note Fig. 1) .until the posts'30 and 32 grip opposite sides of said arm 12 whereby to: prevent further pivotal movement.

Slidably mounted on the arm 10 is a handle assembly, generally designated at 34 (note Fig. 4), which assembly comprises a' bottom bar member 36 that is identical in configuration to the aforedescribed lower member 28 of the assembly 24. The assembly 34 further comprises a handle member 38 of elongated bar-like configuration having at its inner end (the end nearest the pivot of arms and 12) a slightly offset arrowhead 40, the surface 42 of which is adapted to engage and exert the bending force on wire or rod to be formed, in a manner hereafter to be made apparent. As will be noted, the handle 38 and the member 36 are joined together by posts 44 and 46', which posts may be integrally formed with respect to head 49, and which may depend therefrom into securement with the member 36 by means of welding or the like. The assembly 34 is similar to the aforedescribed assembly 24 in that it is dimensioned so as to be slidably mounted on the arm 10, and when in mounted position, the member 36 underlies bar litl, while the handle 38 is disposed thereover. The posts 44 and 46 are spaced apart sufliciently so as to enable the assembly 34 to be readily mounted on arm 16), and when so mounted, a slight amount of relative pivotal movement is possible until the handle 38 reaches a position shown in Fig. 1, at which time the posts 44 and 46 clamp against opposite sides of the arm 10 to restrict further pivotal movement of assembly 34.

As will be seen most clearly in Fig. 1, the post 32 of assembly 24 is somewhat longer than its companion post 30, whereby said post at its upper operative end terminates in a plane substantially flush with the upper surface of handle 38. While it will be noted that center bending or bearing pin 22 also terminates in the same plane, it will be understood that this is not absolutely necessary. Actually, the only thing that is important is that the post 32, bearing pin 22, and bending surface 42 extend upwardly from the upper surface of arm 10 for at least as great a distance as the height of the stock to be bent and formed. In other words, where rods or bars are to be bent, it is only necessary that the members 32, 22, and 42 extend above the upper surface of the arm 10 for a greater distance than the thickness of said rods or bars, whereas if a sheet is to be formed, said members would have to extend upwardly for a distance at least equal to the height of said sheet stock when placed on edge on the upper surface of arm 10.

In operation and use, the assemblies 24 and 34 are slidably mounted on their arms 12 and 10, respectively, until they reach substantially the positions shown in Fig. I. It is important to note that the handle 38 overlies the arm 10, and also that the assembly 24 is positioned so that its posts 30 and 32 are located nearest the pivot of the arms 10 and 12. The rod to be bent, shown in dotted lines at 48, is then placed in position on the upper surface of the arm 10, or more specifically, on the upper surface of circular portion 14. When so positioned, it will be noted that the center bearing pin 22 is in engagement with one side of rod 48, while bearing post 32 and bearing surface 42 engage the opposite side thereof, while furthermore, the pin 22 is positioned intermediate post 32 and surface 42. The arm 12 is then securely gripped by any suitable support means, such as a vise 50 or the like, and then the handle 38 is manually grasped and rotated in a clockwise direction as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. As will be obvious, as soon as the handle 38 is so rotated, the assembly 34 will have pivoted relative to its arm 10 to the maximum possible extent, whereupon posts 44 and 46 will securely grip opposite sides of the arm 10 whereby to prevent undesirable sliding movement of the assembly 34 during the bending opertion. At the same time, a clockwise torque will be imparted to the assembly 24, since the rod 48 will be bearing against the post 32, whereupon said assembly 24 will pivot to the position shown in Fig. l, in which position the posts 32 and 30 will securely clamp against opposite sides of arm 12, thus preventing undesirable sliding movement of this particular assembly during the bending operation. As the handle 38 is moved to the dotted-line position of Fig. l, carrying with it its arm 10, the rod 48 will be bent around the pin 22 as shown. After completion of the bending operation, it is simply necessary to release the pressure on the handle 38, whereupon the assembly 34 may he slid outwardly along the arm 10, after which the bent rod may easily be manually removed.

Since the elements of my invention as aforedescribed are subjected to considerable stresses and strains during the bending operation, and particularly the posts 32 and 22, it is essential that my construction be characterized by a high degree of toughness, and a low degree of brittleness. It has been found that hardened mild steel will adequately perform the desired operation, although it may be preferable to use stainless steel for the post 32 and pin 22. Should a different radius bend be required, it is simply necessary to remove the pin 22 from its aperture 20 and insert therein a different pin, such as shown at 52 in Fig. 6. As will be obvious, by varying the diameter of the upper portion of the pin 52, such as shown at the enlarged portion 54, practically any desired radius bend can be obtained. Also, while it is not absolutely essential that the'arm 12 be threadedly mounted within the arm 10 to effect the desired relative pivotal movement, it has been found that best results are obtained from this arrangement, since additional bearing surface is obtained during said pivotal movement. It will be understood in this connection, however, that the arm 10 is sufficiently spaced above the arm 12 so as not to bind thereagainst during relative turning movement of the parts.

Thus it will be seen that there has been provided in accordance with the instant invention a highly simplified yet effective forming and bending tool. The slidable relation between the assemblies 24 and 34 and their respective arms 12 and 10, readily enables the apparatus to be adapted for bending different thicknesses of rod or bar, and the specific construction of these assemblies, namely, the spaced bars 26, 28 and 36, 38, insures that no undesirable vertical play will exist during the bending operation. As will be apparent, my device is easily portable and can be made in a wide variety of sizes, depending upon the particular type of work to be done. Thus, a relatively small device could be constructed for the forming and bending of light articles, such as fish hooks and the like, while my apparatus would be of larger proportion and dimensions where heavy sheet and rod stock or piping is to be formed.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except in so far as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A forming and bending tool of the character described comprising a pair of elongated arms, one of said arms having a circular portion at one extremity thereof, an opening extending through said circular portion, said other arm having an upstanding stud at one end thereof, said opening rotatably receiving said stud whereby said arms are connected to each other for pivotal movement, an axial bore in said stud, an elongated pin removably mounted in said bore and extending therefrom, and abutment means carried by said arms intermediate the length thereof and extending in the direction of said pin.

2. A forming and bending tool as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said abutment means are each slidably mounted on their respective arm.

3. A forming and bending tool as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said circular portion is offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of its arm.

4. A forming and bending tool as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said opening and said stud are threadedly interconnected.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Peal-d Aug. 11, 1903

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