Reciprocating abrading or polishing tool

Claim 2

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; and a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements and connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said first guide means including a track structure and a plurality of rollers guided thereby; said track structure including liner means which in advancing generally parallel to said axis pass along and engage the underside of one of said rollers, and then advance upwardly and past the upper side of another roller in engagement therewith.

Claim 3

A tool as recited in claim 1, in which said liner means have a portion at the location of one of said rollers which bears yieldingly against the roller to take up play between the rollers and track structure.

Claim 4

A tool as recited in claim 1, in which said liner means have a portion at the location of said last mentioned roller which is bowed downwardly against that roller and exerts yielding force downwardly thereagainst.

Claim 5

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; and a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements and connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said first guide means including two elongated tracks connected to opposite sides of said shoe structure and forming opposed channels having upwardly facing and downwardly facing flange surfaces, two series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting laterally into said tracks respectively, and two track liner elements in said tracks engaging said rollers; each of said liner elements being an elongated strip of material which is of zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper side of at least one of said rollers and to extend along and engage only the underside of at least one other roller.

Claim 6

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; and a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements and connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said first guide means including two elongated tracks connected to opposite sides of said shoe structure and forming opposed channels having upwardly facing and downwardly facing flange surfaces, two series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting laterally into said tracks respectively, and two track liner elements in said tracks engaging said rollers; each of said liner elements being an elongated strip of material which is of zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper side of at least one of said rollers and to extend along and engage only the underside of at least one other roller.

Claim 7

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; and a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements and connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said first guide means including two elongated tracks connected to opposite sides of said shoe structure and forming opposed channels having upwardly facing and downwardly facing flange surfaces, two series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting laterally into said tracks respectively, and two track liner elements in said tracks engaging said rollers; each of saId liner elements being an elongated strip of material secured to an associated one of said tracks and which is of a zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper side of at least one of said rollers and to extend along and engage only the underside of at least one other roller; said liner elements having portions engaging the upper sides of some of said rollers which are resilient and bowed downwardly to exert yielding downward force against those rollers.

Claim 8

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; and a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements and connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said first guide means including two elongated tracks connected to opposite sides of said shoe structure and forming opposed channels having upwardly facing and downwardly facing flange surfaces, two series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting laterally into said tracks respectively, and two track liner elements in said tracks engaging said rollers; each of saId liner elements being an elongated strip of material secured to an associated one of said tracks and which is of a zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper side of at least one of said rollers and to extend along and engage only the underside of at least one other roller; said liner elements having portions engaging the upper sides of some of said rollers which are resilient and bowed downwardly to exert yielding downward force against those rollers.

Claim 9

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements are connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said shoe structure being a generally flat structure having a cushion at its underside and having clips for securing sandpaper to the shoe structure in a position of extension along its underside; said body structure extending along the upper side of said shoe structure; said first guide means including two channel shaped opposed spaced parallel track elements projecting upwardly at the top of the shoe structure near its opposite sides respectively, a series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting into said tracks to be guided thereby, and two liner elements within said tracks and each of zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper sides of alternate ones of the rollers in a particular track and only the undersides of rollers therebetween; said liner elements having resilient downwardly bowed portions engaging and exerting downwad yielding force against the upper sides of some of said rollers; said motor being carried at the upper side of said body structure and having a rotor mounted to turn about a transverse horizontal axis; said crank elements being mounted to the upper side of the body to turn about a transverse horizontal axis generally parallel to the axis of said motor; and an endless belt transmitting power from said motor to said crank elements; said body structure containing an opening within which said counterweight is mounted for straight line movement; said second guide means being two tracks contained within said opening of said body structure and slidably guiding said counterweight; said first connecting rod projecting in a first direction from said first crank element to a point of connection to said shoe structure; and said second connecting rod projecting in generally the opposite direction beneath said motor and to a point of connection with said shoe structure.

Claim 10

A portable work abrading or polishing tool comprising a portable body structure; handle means for manipulating said body structure; a shoe structure movable relative to said body structure to abrade or polish a work surface; first guide means guiding the shoe structure for essentially straight line reciprocal movement along a predetermined axis relative to said body structure; a counterweight; second guide means mounting said counterweight movably to said body structure for reciprocal movement relative thereto and essentially parallel to said axis of movement of the shoe structure; a rotary motor mounted to said body structure; two crank elements driven rotatively relative to said body structure by said motor; a first connecting rod driven by a first of said crank elements and connected to said shoe structure to reciprocate the latter in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements; a second connecting rod actuated by the second of said crank elements are connected to said counterweight to reciprocate it relative to the body structure in correspondence with rotation of the crank elements and in counterbalancing opposition to the reciprocation of the shoe structure; said shoe structure being a generally flat structure having a cushion at its underside and having clips for securing sandpaper to the shoe structure in a position of extension along its underside; said body structure extending along the upper side of said shoe structure; said first guide means including two channel shaped opposed spaced parallel track elements projecting upwardly at the top of the shoe structure near its opposite sides respectively, a series of rollers mounted rotatably to opposite sides of said body structure and projecting into said tracks to be guided thereby, and two liner elements within said tracks and each of zigzag configuration to extend along and engage only the upper sides of alternate ones of the rollers in a particular track and only the undersides of rollers therebetween; said liner elements having resilient downwardly bowed portions engaging and exerting downwad yielding force against the upper sides of some of said rollers; said motor being carried at the upper side of said body structure and having a rotor mounted to turn about a transverse horizontal axis; said crank elements being mounted to the upper side of the body to turn about a transverse horizontal axis generally parallel to the axis of said motor; and an endless belt transmitting power from said motor to said crank elements; said body structure containing an opening within which said counterweight is mounted for straight line movement; said second guide means being two tracks contained within said opening of said body structure and slidably guiding said counterweight; said first connecting rod projecting in a first direction from said first crank element to a point of connection to said shoe structure; and said second connecting rod projecting in generally the opposite direction beneath said motor and to a point of connection with said shoe structure.

Claim 11

A portable tool for treating a work surface comprising a body structure, a shoe structure movable relative to the body structure to act on the work surface, motor means for driving the shoe structure relative to the body structure, and guide means mounting the shoe structure for its relative movement, said guide means including a track structure, a plurality of rollers movable within said track structure, and liner means within the track structure extending along and engaging only the uNderside of one roller and only the upper side of another roller.

Claim 12

A portable tool for treating a work surface comprising a body structure, a shoe structure movable relative to the body structure to act on the work surface, motor means for driving the shoe structure relative to the body structure, and guide means mounting the shoe structure for its relative movement, said guide means including a track structure, a plurality of rollers movable within said track structure, and liner means within the track structure extending along and engaging only the uNderside of one roller and only the upper side of another roller.

Claim 13

A tool as recited in claim 7, in which said liner means have a portion at the location of said last mentioned roller which is resiliently urged downwardly thereagainst.

Claim 14

A tool as recited in claim 7, in which said liner means include a strip of resilient material extending along the upper side of said last mentioned roller and bowed downwardly theretoward and away from a downwardly facing surface of said track, and exerting yielding force downwardly against said last mentioned roller.

Claim 15

A tool as recited in claim 7, in which said liner means include an elongated strip of spring material of zigzag configuration shaped to extend along only the underside of said first mentioned roller, and then advance upwardly to extend along only the upper side of said second mentioned roller, and then extend downwardly to pass along and engage only the underside of a third roller, said spring material having a portion which contacts said second mentioned roller and exerts yielding force downwardly thereagainst.

Claim 16

A tool as recited in claim 10, including fasteners detachably securing each of said liner strips to the associated one of said tracks.