Coring tool alignment assembly
View Patent ↗A compact assembly for aligning a coring tool relative to a pipe sidewall. The coring tool includes a hollow, cylindrical hole saw mounted to an arbor that has an elongated pilot shaft centered in the hole saw. The assembly is made up of a base plate that is attachable to the pipe sidewall. In one embodiment, a tubular sleeve is mounted to the base plate and has a bore diameter sized for receiving the pilot shaft as the hole saw is advanced toward and saws through the pipe wall, and the entire assembly is sized to fit inside the hole saw as the hole saw saws through the pipe sidewall. In another embodiment, the base plate is configured for use with pipe sidewalls that include outwardly protruding ribs.
1. A system for aligning a coring tool relative to a pipe sidewall, the system comprising:
a hollow, cylindrical hole saw mounted to an arbor that has an elongated pilot shaft centered in the hole saw;
a base plate attachable to the pipe sidewall and including a first terminal end having a first planar surface, a second terminal end having a second planar surface opposite the first terminal end, and spaced apart peripheral feet protruding from an underside of the base plate to contact the pipe sidewall, wherein each foot extends from the first planar surface to the second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface extends between a first end of a first foot and a first end of a second foot, and the second planar surface extends between a second end of the first foot and a second end of the second foot;
a sleeve aperture through the base plate and having a bore diameter sized such that it receives the pilot shaft as the hole saw is advanced toward and saws through the pipe sidewall;
wherein the plate is sized to fit inside the hole saw as the hole saw saws through the pipe sidewall.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising fastening devices to facilitate attaching the base plate to the pipe sidewall.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral feet protrude by an amount sufficient to provide a clearance gap between the spaced apart feet thereby to permit the feet to both simultaneously contact a curved sidewall of the pipe.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the peripheral feet are sized to permit the curved sidewall of the pipe to extend into the clearance gap without contacting the underside of the base plate.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the sleeve aperture extends through a thickness of the base plate from a top surface to the underside of the base plate.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the sleeve aperture is a smooth-walled aperture.
7. A system for aligning a coring tool relative to a pipe sidewall, wherein the pipe sidewall includes ribs protruding outwardly therefrom, the system comprising:
a hollow, cylindrical hole saw mounted to an arbor that has an elongated pilot shaft centered in the hole saw;
a base plate attachable to the pipe sidewall, wherein the base plate includes a first terminal end having a first planar surface and a second terminal end having a second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface of the base plate are configured to contact the ribs of the pipe sidewall, wherein the base plate includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein a first single foot extends along the first side of the base plate, and a second single foot extends along the second side of the base plate, wherein the first planar surface extends between a first end of the first single foot and a first end of the second single foot, and the second planar surface extends between a second end of the first single foot and a second end of the second single foot;
a sleeve aperture through the base plate and having a bore diameter sized such that it receives the pilot shaft as the hole saw is advanced toward and saws through the pipe sidewall;
wherein the plate is sized to fit inside the hole saw as the hole saw saws through the pipe sidewall.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the ribs include facing surfaces, and wherein the base plate is configured to engage the facing surfaces.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the base plate is sized to be received between the facing surfaces of the ribs.
10. The system of claim 8 wherein the base plate is configured to provide an interference fit between the facing surfaces of the ribs.
11. The system of claim 7 wherein each foot protrudes from an underside of the base plate to contact the pipe sidewall.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein each foot protrudes by an amount sufficient to provide a clearance gap between the feet thereby to permit the feet to contact a curved sidewall of the pipe.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the ribs include facing surfaces, and wherein each foot is configured to contact the facing surfaces of the ribs and securely contact the surface of the pipe sidewall.
14. The system of claim 7 wherein the sleeve aperture extends through a thickness of the base plate from a top surface to the underside of the base plate.
15. A system for aligning a coring tool relative to a pipe sidewall, the system comprising:
a hollow, cylindrical hole saw mounted to an arbor that has an elongated pilot shaft centered in the hole saw;
a base plate attachable to the pipe sidewall and including a first terminal end having a first planar surface, a second terminal end having a second planar surface opposite the first terminal end, and spaced apart peripheral feet protruding from an underside of the base plate to contact the pipe sidewall, wherein each foot extends from the first planar surface to the second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface extends between a first end of a first foot and a first end of a second foot, and the second planar surface extends between a second end of the first foot and a second end of the second foot;
a sleeve aperture through the base plate and having a bore diameter sized such that it receives the pilot shaft as the hole saw is advanced toward and saws through the pipe sidewall;
wherein the peripheral feet protrude by an amount sufficient to provide a clearance gap between the spaced apart feet to receive a curved sidewall of the pipe.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the pipe sidewall includes ribs protruding outwardly therefrom.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the ribs include facing surfaces, and wherein the base plate is positioned between the facing surfaces.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the base plate is configured to engage the facing surfaces of the ribs to enable the base plate to move downwardly between the ribs and into secure contact with the surface of the side of the pipe between the ribs.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the peripheral feet simultaneously contact the sidewall of the pipe.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the feet are sized to provide a gap sufficient to receive the sidewalls of pipes having different radii.