Grinding machine

Claim 2

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, said support base including a top side and a bottom side, said bottom side being arranged for supporting said machine on a support member, a grinding assembly supported for rotation adjacent said top side of said support base, power means mounted on said support base adjacent said top side for rotating said grinding assembly, a drive mechanism supported adjacent said bottom side of said support base, said support base including a hollow cavity opening outwardly in a direction away from said top side to define a readily accessible enclosure for said drive mechanism when the machine is supported on said support member, said grinding assembly and said power means being operably connected to one another by said drive mechanism within sAid cavity for operating said grinding assembly, said power means including a drive shaft, said grinding assembly including a pair of laterally spaced grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft, said drive shafts of said grinding units and drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation lying in substantially the same common plane, and said drive shaft of one of said grinding units being positioned between the drive shaft of the other of said grinding units and the drive shaft of said power means and being movable in said common plane between said drive shaft of said power means and said drive shaft of said other grinding units.

Claim 3

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, said support base including a top side and a bottom side, said bottom side being arranged for supporting said machine on a support member, a grinding assembly supported for rotation adjacent said top side of said support base, power means mounted on said support base adjacent said top side for rotating said grinding assembly, a drive mechanism supported adjacent said bottom side of said support base, said support base including a hollow cavity opening outwardly in a direction away from said top side to define a readily accessible enclosure for said drive mechanism when the machine is supported on said support member, said grinding assembly and said power means being operably connected to one another by said drive mechanism within said cavity for operating said grinding assembly, said power means including a drive shaft, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft, and said drive shafts of said grinding units and drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation lying in substantially the same common plane.

Claim 4

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, said support base including a top side and a bottom side, said bottom side being arranged for supporting said machine on a support member, a grinding assembly supported for rotation adjacent said top side of said support base, power means mounted on said support base adjacent said top side for rotating said grinding assembly, a drive mechanism supported adjacent said bottom side of said support base, said support base including a hollow cavity opening outwardly in a direction away from said top side to define a readily accessible enclosure for said drive mechanism when the machine is supported on said support member, said grinding assembly and said power means being operably connected to one another by said drive mechanism within said cavity for operating said grinding assembly, said power means including a drive shaft, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft, and said drive shafts of said grinding units and drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation lying in substantially the same common plane.

Claim 5

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein, said drive mechanism includes an endless drive element engageable with said drive shafts of said grinding units, and said drive shaft of said power means within said cavity, and said endless drive element being movable through said cavity in the general direction of said common plane and having one side thereof drivingly engaging said shafts for minimizing the power of requirements of said power means.

Claim 6

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, said support base including a top side and a bottom side, said bottom side being arranged for supporting said machine on a support member, a grinding assembly supported for rotation adjacent said top side of said support base, power means mounted on said support base adjacent said top side for rotating said grinding assembly, a drive mechanism supported adjacent said bottom side of said support base, said support base including a hollow cavity opening outwardly in a direction away from said top side to define a readily accessible enclosure for said drive mechanism when the machine is supported on said support member, said grinding assembly and said power means being operably connected to one another by said drive mechanism within said cavity for operating said grinding assembly, said grinding assembly including a plurality of grinding units each having a speed reducing means operably connected thereto, said speed reducing means extending through said support base into said cavity for connection to said drive mechanism for operating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a rotatable grinding member, each of said grinding members being mounted on a support shaft in interdigitated grinding relation with respect to one another, said support shafts being disposed in a generally horizontally oriented position when said machine is supported on said supporting member, each of said grinding Units including a speed reducing means operably connected thereto, each of said speed reducing means including a drive shaft, each of said drive shafts extending in a generally vertically oriented position and being operably connected at one end to a respective one of said support shafts and being connected at its opposite end to said drive mechanism within said cavity, said support base being of an elongated construction, said cavity extending in the lengthwise direction of said support base and having said power means mounted adjacent one end thereof and having the grinding assembly mounted adjacent the other end thereof, and said drive mechanism including an endless drive element disposed within said cavity and running in the lengthwise direction thereof such that said grinding members rotate about a generally horizontal axis and said drive element moves in a generally horizontally extending plane when said machine is supported on its bottom side on said support member.

Claim 7

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, said support base including a top side and a bottom side, said bottom side being arranged for supporting said machine on a support member, a grinding assembly supported for rotation adjacent said top side of said support base, power means mounted on said support base adjacent said top side for rotating said grinding assembly, a drive mechanism supported adjacent said bottom side of said support base, said support base including a hollow cavity opening outwardly in a direction away from said top side to define a readily accessible enclosure for said drive mechanism when the machine is supported on said support member, said grinding assembly and said power means being operably connected to one another by said drive mechanism within said cavity for operating said grinding assembly, said grinding assembly including a plurality of grinding units each having a speed reducing means operably connected thereto, said speed reducing means extending through said support base into said cavity for connection to said drive mechanism for operating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a rotatable grinding member, each of said grinding members being mounted on a support shaft in interdigitated grinding relation with respect to one another, said support shafts being disposed in a generally horizontally oriented position when said machine is supported on said supporting member, each of said grinding Units including a speed reducing means operably connected thereto, each of said speed reducing means including a drive shaft, each of said drive shafts extending in a generally vertically oriented position and being operably connected at one end to a respective one of said support shafts and being connected at its opposite end to said drive mechanism within said cavity, said support base being of an elongated construction, said cavity extending in the lengthwise direction of said support base and having said power means mounted adjacent one end thereof and having the grinding assembly mounted adjacent the other end thereof, and said drive mechanism including an endless drive element disposed within said cavity and running in the lengthwise direction thereof such that said grinding members rotate about a generally horizontal axis and said drive element moves in a generally horizontally extending plane when said machine is supported on its bottom side on said support member.

Claim 8

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, a grinding assembly mounted on said support base, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced rotatable grinding units disposed in interdigitated relation on said support base, power means mounted on said support base for rotating said grinding units, a drive mechanism supported by said support base and operably connecting said power means with said grinding assembly for rotating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft and said power means including a drive shaft, said drive shaft of said grinding units and said drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation extending in generally parallel relation to one another, said drive mechanism including an endless drive element having one side thereof operably engageable with said drive shafts of said power means and said grinding units, each of said grinding units including speed reducing means, and said speed reducing means of one of said grinding units being operably engageable with said drive mechanism for rotating said one grinding unit in one direction and a speed reducing means of another of said grinding units being operably connected to said drive mechanism for operating said other of said grinding units in another direction.

Claim 9

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, a grinding assembly mounted on said support base, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced rotatable grinding units disposed in interdigitated relation on said support base, power means mounted on said support base for rotating said grinding units, a drive mechanism supported by said support base and operably connecting said power means with said grinding assembly for rotating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft and said power means including a drive shaft, said drive shaft of said grinding units and said drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation extending in generally parallel relation to one another, said drive mechanism including an endless drive element having one side thereof operably engageable with said drive shafts of said power means and said grinding units, each of said grinding units including speed reducing means, and said speed reducing means of one of said grinding units being operably engageable with said drive mechanism for rotating said one grinding unit in one direction and a speed reducing means of another of said grinding units being operably connected to said drive mechanism for operating said other of said grinding units in another direction.

Claim 10

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, a grinding assembly mounted on said support base, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced rotatable grinding units disposed in interdigitated relation on said support base, power means mounted on said support base for rotating said grinding units, a drive mechanism supported by said support base and operably connecting said power means with said grinding assembly for rotating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft and said power means including a drive shaft, said drive shaft of said grinding units and said drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation extending in generally parallel relation to one another, said drive mechanism including an endless drive element having one side thereof operably engageable with said drive shafts of said power means and said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a rotatable grinding member for honing said cutting edge, and each of said grinding units including speed reducing means connected between said drive mechanism and a respective one of said grinding members to achieve a reduction in any timing errors between said grinding members and minimize the power transmitted from said power means.

Claim 11

A grinding machine for honing the cutting edge of a cutting implement comprising, a support base, a grinding assembly mounted on said support base, said grinding assembly including laterally spaced rotatable grinding units disposed in interdigitated relation on said support base, power means mounted on said support base for rotating said grinding units, a drive mechanism supported by said support base and operably connecting said power means with said grinding assembly for rotating said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a drive shaft and said power means including a drive shaft, said drive shaft of said grinding units and said drive shaft of said power means having their axes of rotation extending in generally parallel relation to one another, said drive mechanism including an endless drive element having one side thereof operably engageable with said drive shafts of said power means and said grinding units, each of said grinding units including a rotatable grinding member for honing said cutting edge, and each of said grinding units including speed reducing means connected between said drive mechanism and a respective one of said grinding members to achieve a reduction in any timing errors between said grinding members and minimize the power transmitted from said power means.

Claim 12

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 6, wherein said drive mechanism includes an endless drive element engageable along one side thereof with said power means and said grinding assembly, and said grinding assembly including speed-reduciNg means operably connecting said grinding units to said drive mechanism, said speed-reducing means including laterally-spaced gear assembly each associated with a respective one of said grinding units, each of said gear assemblies including a first gear rotatable about one axis and a second gear rotatable about another axis, one of said second gears engageable with one of said first gears in diametrically-opposed relation to the other first gear and second gear, each of said second gears mounted on a drive shaft, and said drive element is engageable with said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft in one direction to rotate said first gears in opposite directions.

Claim 13

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 7, wherein said first gears are rotatable about generally horizontally oriented axes, said second gears and their drive shafts are rotatable about generally vertically-oriented axes, said power means includes a drive shaft rotatable about a generally vertically-oriented axis, and said axes are disposed in substantially the same common plane.

Claim 14

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 8, wherein said support base includes a downwardly opening cavity therein, said drive shafts extend through said support base and into said cavity, and said drive element operably engages said drive shafts within said cavity being movable generally in the direction of said common plane.

Claim 15

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 9, including tensioning means for maintaining substantially constant tension on said drive element.

Claim 16

A grinding machine in accordance with claim 9, wherein said drive element comprises a cog-type belt including a plurality of cogs disposed in laterally spaced relation along one side of said belt, each of said drive shafts including a sheave disposed within said cavity for engagement with said belts, and each of said sheaves including laterally spaced recesses about the periphery thereof for receiving the cogs on said belt to provide precise timing between the rotation of said grinding units.