Grinding machine with tilting table

Claim 2

Machine tool apparatus for grinding a workpiece and having a base, first and second spaced apart and parallel rail-like slide means on said base, and table means for supporting said workpiece on a surface normally exactly transverse to a first axis and supported on said slide means for movement between a load location and a grind location, said apparatus further comprising a rounded slide surface on said second slide means, a correspondingly rounded slide surface on said table means slidably and pivotably seated on said second slide means, with the roundnesses of said engaged surface being configured for rotation of said table means, and retractable lifting means for engaging and selectively lifting said table means from said first slide means at said grind location, thereby to rotate said table means upward about said second slide means and to offset said table surface selectively from said first axis.

Claim 3

A grinding machine of the vertical spindle and sliding table type having a base, first and second ways on said base, a table slidable along siad ways between first and second locations with a workpiece-receiving surface perpendicular to a first axis, and a grinding-tool spindle on said base above said table and rotatable about said first axis and carrying a grinding tool into engagement with a workpiece on said table surface, and further comprising a rounded surface on said second way slidably engaged with said table means for rotation thereof about a fixed rotation axis extending parallel to said ways and lift means including first and second wedge members each having a camming surface opposite and inclined relative to a bearing surface, said inclinations being the same, said wedge members being carried by said table one above the other with said camming surface in face-to-face abutment and said bearing surface extending parallel to said ways, said first wedge member being movable relative to said table only along said first axis and between an extended position where it bears against said base to effect lift of said table and a retracted position, said second wedge member being movable relative to said table only parallel to said ways for moving said first wedge member between said positions thereof and drive means for selectively moving said second wedge member in a direction parallel to said ways.

Claim 4

A grinding machine of the vertical spindle and sliding table type having a base, first and second ways on said base, a table slidable along siad ways between first and second locations with a workpiece-receiving surface perpendicular to a first axis, and a grinding-tool spindle on said base above said table and rotatable about said first axis and carrying a grinding tool into engagement with a workpiece on said table surface, and further comprising a rounded surface on said second way slidably engaged with said table means for rotation thereof about a fixed rotation axis extending parallel to said ways and lift means including first and second wedge members each having a camming surface opposite and inclined relative to a bearing surface, said inclinations being the same, said wedge members being carried by said table one above the other with said camming surface in face-to-face abutment and said bearing surface extending parallel to said ways, said first wedge member being movable relative to said table only along said first axis and between an extended position where it bears against said base to effect lift of said table and a retracted position, said second wedge member being movable relative to said table only parallel to said ways for moving said first wedge member between said positions thereof and drive means for selectively moving said second wedge member in a direction parallel to said ways.

Claim 5

A grinding machine as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said drive means includes a lead screw threadably engaged with said second wedge member to provide said selective movement thereof.