Drill press work-holding apparatus

Claim 1

WORK-HOLDING APPARATUS FOR A DRILL PRESS WHICH INCLUDES A VERTICAL SUPPORT COLUMN AND A SPINDLE SPACED THEREFROM, COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A BRACKET PORTION ADAPTED FOR VERTICAL MOUNTING ON SAID COLUMN AND FOR VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT ON SAID COLUMN, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A WORK TABLE PORTION SUPPORTED BY SAID BRACKET PORTION AND ADJUSTABLE FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID COLUMN AND SAID SPINDLE, SAID TABLE PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TOP SURFACE WHEREIN THERE IS PROVIDED A ROTATABLE WORK-HOLDING DEVICE ADAPTED TO HOLD WORK PIECES HAVING CIRCULAR OR CURVED PORTIONS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A MAIN BODY MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BOTTOM SURFACE AND ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FLAT TOP SURFACE, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID BODY MEMBER TO SAID MEANS FOR DETACHABLY HOLDING SAID DEVICE, SAID TABLE PORTION HAVING FORMED THEREIN A VERTICAL APERTURE WHICH EXTENDS DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FLAT TOP SURFACE AND WHCIH IS OFFSET FROM THE CENTER OF SIAD TOP SURFACE, SAID BOSY MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF INDEX HOLES EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM SURFACE AND SPACED APART ALONG THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A CIRCLE, AN INDEXING PIN DISPOSED FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT IN SAID APERTURE, SAID INDEXING PIN HAVING AT ITS LOWER END BELOW SAID APERTURE A DETENT PORTION WHICH EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND WHICH HAS A FLAT SURFACE FACING UPWARD, SELECTIVELY OPERATED MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID PIN IN ITS UPWARDLY EXTENDED VERTICAL POSITION WHEREIN IT PROJECTS INTO A FIRST ONE OF SAID HOLES TO LOCK SAID BODY MEMBER IN A FIRST ONE OF SAID HOLES TO LOCK SAID BODY MEMBER IN A FIRST DESIRED ANGULAR POSITION AND FOR HOLDING SAID PIN IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID BODY MEMBER WHILE SAID BODY MEMBER IS ROTATED FROM SAID FIRST ANGULAR POSITION TOWARD ITS NEXT DESIRED ANGULAR POSITION AND FOR HOLDING SAID PIN AGAIN IN ITS UPWARDLY EXTENDED POSITION WHEREIN IT PROJECTS INTO THE NEXT ONE OF SAID HOLES TO LOCK SAID BODY MEMBER IN SAID NEXT DESIRED ANGULAR POSITION WHEN SAID BODY MEMBER HAS BEEN ROTATED TO SAID LAST-MENTIONED ANGULAR POSITION, SAID PIN-HOLDING MEANS INCLUDES SPRING MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID PIN IN EACH OF SAID HOLES WHEN SAID BODY MEMBER IS IN THE RESPECTIVE DESIRED ANGULAR POSITION, SAID PIN-HOLDING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A CONTROL MEMBER OPERABLE AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID PIN IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION WHILE SAID BODY MEMBER IS ROTATED FROM EACH OF SAID DESIRED ANGULAR POSITIONS TOWARD THE NEXT DESIRED ANGULAR POSITION, SAID CONTROL MEMBER INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL ECCENTRIC PIN MANUALLY ROTATABLE FROM ITS OUTER END AND HAVING AN ECCENTRIC PORTION AT ITS INNER END WHICH IS GENERALLY SEMICYLINDRICAL AND WHICH HAS ITS FLAT SURFACE FACING DOWNWARD ABUTTING THE FLAT SURFACE OF SAID DETENT PORTION WHEN SAID ECCENTRIC PIN IS IN A FIRST ANGULAR POSITION AND SAID INDEXING PIN IS IN SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDED POSITION UNDER THE CONTROL OF SAID SPRING MEANS, SAID ECCENTRIC PIN BEING MANUALLY ROTATABLE THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY 180 DEGREES TO A SECOND ANGULAR POSITION WHEREAT SAID ECCENTRIC PORTION HAS DRIVEN SAID DETENT PORTION, AND HENCE THE ENTIRE INDEXING PIN, DOWN TO SAID RETRACTED POSITION AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR DETACHABLY HOLDING SAID DEVICE ON SAID TABLE PORTION NORMALLY AGAINST VERTICAL MOVEMENT.