Abrading and polishing wheels

Claim 1

A wheel for abrading and polishing operations, comprising: a web having an annular rim, the web having means for attaching the wheel to a revolvable shaft, said rim having a radial slot tapering from a smaller opening at the periphery of said rim to a larger opening interiorly thereof, a sleeve disposed crosswise of said rim and rotatably fitting within said slot, said sleeve having an outside diameter which is larger than the smaller opening of said slot, and said sleeve having a longitudinal split, resilient means urging said sleeve in a direction toward the smaller opening of said tapered slot to wedge the sleeve between the oppostely disposed walls defining said slot, a flexible strip having an abrading or polishing surface and adapted to be disposed tightly about the periphery of said rim, said strip intermediate its ends being positioned against said rim periphery and the two end portions of said strip extending through said tapered slot and through said sleeve split and disposed within said sleeve, rotation of said sleeve causing said end portions to wind thereabout and thereby tighten said strip about the periphery of said rim, the wound end portions engaging at least one of said oppositely disposed slot walls and being held wedged thereagainst by the urging action of said resilient means, and a rotator member for rotating said sleeve, said rotator member comprising a rod fitting within said sleeve and having a longitudinal slot adapted to be aligned with the sleeve split and into which fit the end portions of said strip, said rod being manually rotatable and being removable from said sleeve by pulling it axially out of said sleeve.

Claim 3

The method of securing a flexible abrasive or polishing strip tightly about the peripheral of the rim of a wheel, comprising: disposing said strip flatwise against the periphery of said rim with the operating side outward, inserting the two ends of the strip through a radial slot which tapers from a smaller end at the rim periphery to a larger end interiorly thereof, and also inserting said strip ends through a longitudinal split in a cylindrical sleeve which is rotatably supported between the two inclined walls of said rim slot and further inserting said strip ends into a longitudinal slot in an actuator rod disposed within said sleeve when the rod slot and sleeve split are aligned, pressing said sleeve into wedged relation with said rim slot walls, rotating said rod to pinch the strip ends between margins of the rod slot and the sleeve split and thereby in turn rotating said sleeve and withdrawing the rod from the sleeve when the wound strip ends are pressed into frictional engagement with at least one of the walls of the rim slot.

Claim 4

The method of securing a flexible abrasive or polishing strip tightly about the peripheral of the rim of a wheel, comprising: disposing said strip flatwise against the periphery of said rim with the operating side outward, inserting the two ends of the strip through a radial slot which tapers from a smaller end at the rim periphery to a larger end interiorly thereof, and also inserting said strip ends through a longitudinal split in a cylindrical sleeve which is rotatably supported between the two inclined walls of said rim slot and further inserting said strip ends into a longitudinal slot in an actuator rod disposed within said sleeve when the rod slot and sleeve split are aligned, pressing said sleeve into wedged relation with said rim slot walls, rotating said rod to pinch the strip ends between margins of the rod slot and the sleeve split and thereby in turn rotating said sleeve and withdrawing the rod from the sleeve when the wound strip ends are pressed into frictional engagement with at least one of the walls of the rim slot.