Powered nailer with positive piston return

1. A powered nailer comprising:

a cylinder having a first volume;

a driving element reciprocatable within the cylinder between a pre-firing position and a fastener driving position;

an outer wall partially defining a combustion chamber;

a reciprocating valve element exterior to and surrounding the outer wall, wherein the reciprocating valve element defines a valve opening that aligns with a port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in an open position, and wherein the valve opening is unaligned with the port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in a closed position; and

a return chamber in fluid communication with the cylinder and having a second volume, the ratio of the second volume to the first volume being at least 1:1,

wherein the return chamber is configured to:

receive a supply of pressurized air through a plurality of openings, the pressurized air generated by the driving element as the driving element moves from the pre-firing position to the fastener driving position, and

release the pressurized air through the plurality of openings into the cylinder to act on an underside of the driving element to return the driving element to the pre-firing position.

2. The powered nailer of claim 1 , wherein the ratio is 2:1.

3. A powered nailer comprising:

a power source including a driving element reciprocatable within a cylinder between a pre-firing position and a fastener driving position, the driving element being in the fastener driving position when the driving element engages a bumper disposed at a bottom of the cylinder;

an outer wall partially defining a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the cylinder, the combustion chamber configured to receive a dose of fuel and air prior to a user-generated ignition;

a reciprocating valve element exterior to and surrounding the outer wall, wherein the reciprocating valve element defines a valve opening that is in registry with a port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in an open position, and wherein the valve opening is unaligned with the port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in a closed position; and

a return chamber in fluid communication with the cylinder via a plurality of openings between the return chamber and the cylinder, wherein the plurality of openings are circumferentially-spaced about the cylinder to enable the return chamber to:

receive a supply of pressurized air through the plurality of openings, wherein the pressurized air is generated by the driving element as the driving element moves from the pre-firing position to the fastener driving position; and

release the pressurized air into the cylinder through the same plurality of openings through which the supply of pressurized air was received, to act on an underside of the driving element to return the driving element to the pre-firing position.

4. The nailer of claim 3 , wherein the combustion chamber is configured such that, after an ignition in the combustion chamber, the driving element returns to the pre-firing position through action of the pressurized air stored in the return chamber simultaneously with exhausting of the combustion chamber.

5. The nailer of claim 3 , wherein the return chamber is defined in part by an annular, radially-inwardly projecting flange with a sealing relationship to an exterior wall of the cylinder.

6. The nailer of claim 3 , wherein the combustion chamber is configured to open to atmosphere upon the driving element reaching the bumper.

7. The nailer of claim 6 , wherein the return chamber is sized to store sufficient pressurized air to push the driving element to the pre-firing position, and wherein post fastener-driving tool recoil automatically opens the combustion chamber post firing.

8. The nailer of claim 3 , which includes a mechanism configured to delay opening of the combustion chamber post-ignition and configured to open the combustion chamber before return of the driving element to the pre-firing position.

9. The nailer of claim 3 , wherein the return chamber has a pressure of 8 psi when the driving element is in the fastener driving position.

10. The nailer of claim 3 , wherein the cylinder is continuous from an upper end adjacent the pre-firing position to a bumper area at an opposite end from the upper end.

11. A powered nailer comprising:

a cylinder;

a driving element reciprocatable within the cylinder;

an outer wall partially defining a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the cylinder, the outer wall defining a port in fluid communication with the combustion chamber; and

a reciprocating valve element exterior to and surrounding the outer wall, wherein the reciprocating valve element defines a valve opening that is aligned with the port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in an open position, and wherein the valve opening is unaligned with the port of the outer wall when the reciprocating valve element is in a closed position

wherein the port enables both intake of air before combustion occurs in the combustion chamber and exhaust of gases after combustion occurs in the combustion chamber, while the reciprocating valve element is in the open position.