Desk-top type cutter

Claim 1

A desk-top cutter fixed to a table comprising: a circular saw pivotally supported by a support member attached to the table; a circular saw blade mounted on a shaft of the circular saw; a safety cover pivotally supported about the shaft of the circular saw so as to shield an operator from the circular saw blade, wherein the safety cover abuts against a top surface of a workpiece, and rotates in a direction away from the top surfacce of the workpiece to provide access for the saw blade to engage the workpiece; a safety cover operating mechanism for opening and closing the safety cover comprising: a gear member having at least one tooth fixedly connected to an outer surface of the safety cover and rotatable therewith, an L-shaped leverl member mounted to said circular saw at a central portion of said lever member to pivot about an axis offset from the shaft, said lever member comprising at least one engaging member provided on a first end of said lever member for releasably engaging said gear member and a pressing portion provided on a second end of said lever member, said pressing portion extending outwardly from the circular saw and being releasably engageable by the hand of an operator of said circular saw, and a biasing means for biasing said lever member from a pressed position to a released position, said biasing means having a first end attached to said first end of said lever member and a second end attached to said circular saw, wherein when said second end of said lever member is moved to a pressed position, the engaging member engages the gear member to move the safety cover to an open position to expose said blade and when said second end of said lever member is moved to said released position, said gear member and said safety cover are moved from said open position to at least a partially closed position by said engaging member.