Power tool accessories for cutting tubular members
A power tool accessory for cutting tubular members includes a housing, an input shaft configured to be coupled to a rotary power tool, a transmission, and a cutting head removably received in a front end of the housing. The transmission includes an input gear and an output gear with a first plurality of teeth. The cutting head has a central opening, a cutting blade protruding into the central opening, and a second plurality of teeth engaged by the first plurality of teeth. A clamp assembly coupled to the housing is moveable between a first position where the cutting head is removable from the housing and a second position where the cutting head is retained in the housing. The cutting head receives a tubular member in the central opening with the cutting blade engaging the tubular member to cut the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member.
1 . A power tool accessory for cutting tubular members comprising:
a housing;
an input shaft at least partially received in a rear end portion of the housing, the input shaft configured to be coupled to a rotary power tool to be driven in rotation by the power tool;
a transmission received in the housing, the transmission including an input gear drivingly coupled to the input shaft and at least one output member with a first plurality of teeth;
a cutting head removably and rotatably coupleable to a front end portion of the housing, the cutting head having a generally U-shaped central opening, at least one cutting blade that protrudes into the central opening, and a second plurality of teeth configured to be drivingly engaged by the first plurality of teeth; and
a clamp assembly coupled to the housing and moveable between a first position in which the cutting head is removable from the housing and a second position in which the cutting head is retained in the housing, the clamp assembly having a generally U-shaped clamp assembly opening,
wherein the cutting head is configured to receive a tubular member in the central opening with the cutting blade engaging the tubular member so that the cutting blade cuts the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member in response to rotation of the input shaft, and
wherein the clamp assembly is configured to cover substantially an entirety of a top face of the cutting head and the at least one cutting blade when the generally U-shaped central opening of the cutting head is aligned with the generally U-shaped clamp assembly opening.
2 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the at least one output member comprises two or more output gears rotating at the same speed, each output gear having the first plurality of teeth configured to mesh with the second plurality of teeth on the cutting head.
3 . The power tool accessory of claim 2 , wherein the cutting head comprises a C-shaped body that carries the second plurality of teeth and the output gears are separated by a distance so that the first plurality of teeth on at least one of the output gears is always meshed with the second plurality of teeth on the C-shaped body as the cutting head rotates a full rotation about its axis.
4 . The power tool accessory of claim 3 , wherein the at least two output gears are idler gears and the transmission further comprises at least one speed reduction gear between the input gear and the idler gears.
5 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the cutting head comprises a C-shaped body with an interior wall defining the central opening.
6 . The power tool accessory of claim 5 , wherein the C-shaped body carries at least one roller and the cutting blade with a spring biasing the cutting blade into the central opening.
7 . The power tool accessory if claim 6 , wherein the cutting head includes a grip surface on its outer periphery so that the cutting head is configured to be used as a manual operated cutter of tubular members when the cutting head is removed from the housing.
8 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a base and a cover moveable relative to the base of the housing.
9 . The power tool accessory of claim 8 , wherein the clamp assembly further comprises a spring that biases the cover away from the base and a latch with a cam surface moveable between a first position in which the cam surface presses the cover toward the base against the bias of the spring to retain the cutting head in the housing and a second position in which the cam surface allows the cover to move away from the base to allow for insertion or removal of the cutting head from the housing.
10 . The power tool accessory of claim 9 , wherein the cutting head includes an annular track and at least one of the base and the cover includes a protrusion that rides in the track to keep the cutting head centered as it rotates.
11 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the cutting head comprises a plurality of cutting heads each having a central opening with a different interior size to accommodate different sized tubular members, the cutting heads being interchangeably receivable in the housing.
12 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the transmission configured to convert rotation of the input shaft to ratcheting motion of the cutting head, so that the cutting blade cuts the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member with a ratcheting motion in response to rotation of the input shaft.
13 . The power tool accessory of claim 12 , wherein the transmission includes an eccentric member coupled to a front end of the input shaft and a wobble plate engaged by the eccentric member and moveable in an oscillating back and forth motion upon rotation of the eccentric member by rotation of the input shaft.
14 . The power tool accessory of claim 13 , wherein the wobble plate includes driving teeth engaged with driven teeth on a ratchet wheel received in a front end of the housing, and wherein oscillating motion of the wobble plate causes oscillating motion of the ratchet wheel.
15 . The power tool accessory of claim 14 , wherein the cutting head includes ratchet teeth and the ratchet wheel includes at least one ratchet pawl that engages ratchet teeth on the cutting head, such that when the ratchet wheel oscillates, the cutting head rotates in a ratcheting manner in one direction to cut the tubular member received in the cutting head.
16 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the cutting head includes a C-shaped body and a pivoting door coupled to the C-shaped body and pivotable between an open position that allows a tubular member to be received in the central opening and a closed position that retains the tubular member in the central opening and forms an O-shaped cutting head with the C-shaped body,
wherein the cutting head is configured to receive a tubular member in the central opening with the cutting blade engaging the tubular member so that the cutting blade cuts the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member in response to rotation of the input shaft.
17 . The power tool accessory of claim 16 , wherein the C-shaped body and the pivoting door each include a second plurality of teeth configured to be drivingly engaged by the first plurality of teeth as the cutting head rotates a full rotation about its axis.
18 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the input shaft is configured to rotate about a first axis and the cutting head is configured to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis.
19 . A power tool accessory for cutting tubular members comprising:
a housing including a generally U-shaped housing opening;
an input shaft at least partially received in the housing, the input shaft configured to be coupled to a rotary power tool to be driven in rotation by the power tool;
a transmission received in the housing and drivable by the input shaft, the transmission including an output member with a first plurality of teeth;
a plurality of cutting heads interchangeably and rotatably coupleable to the housing, each cutting head including a generally U-shaped central opening with a different interior size, at least one cutting blade that protrudes into the central opening, and a second plurality of teeth configured to be drivingly engaged by the first plurality of teeth;
wherein each cutting head is configured to receive a tubular member of different size in the central opening with the cutting blade engaging the tubular member so that the cutting blade cuts the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member in response to rotation of the input shaft, and
wherein each cutting head is receivable in the housing with the housing configured to cover substantially an entirety of a top face of each cutting head when each cutting head is received in the housing and each generally U-shaped central opening is aligned with the generally U-shaped housing opening.
20 . A power tool accessory for cutting tubular members comprising:
a housing;
an input shaft at least partially received in a rear end portion of the housing, the input shaft configured to be coupled to a rotary power tool to be driven in rotation by the power tool;
a transmission received in the housing, the transmission including an input gear rotatably drivable by the input shaft, at least one intermediate gear rotatably drivable by the input gear, and at least one output gear rotatably drivable by at least one of the at least one intermediate gear;
a C-shaped cutting head removably and rotatably coupleable to a front end portion of the housing, the cutting head having a central opening and at least one cutting blade that protrudes into the central opening, the C-shaped cutting head configured to be rotatably drivable by the at least one output gear; and
a cover coupled to the housing and moveable between a first position in which the cutting head is removable from the housing and a second position in which the cutting head is retained in the housing and is rotatable relative to the cover and the housing,
wherein the cutting head is configured to receive a tubular member in the central opening with the cutting blade engaging the tubular member so that the cutting blade cuts the tubular member as the cutting head rotates about the tubular member in response to rotation of the input shaft,
wherein the cutting head includes a grip surface on its outer periphery so that the cutting head is configured to be used as a manual operated cutter of tubular members when the cutting head is removed from the housing, and
wherein the cutting head has a generally U-shaped central opening, the cover has a generally U-shaped cover opening, and the cover is configured to cover substantially an entirety of a top face of the cutting head when the generally U-shaped central opening of the cutting head is aligned with the generally U-shaped cover opening.
21 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein, in the second position, the cutting head is rotatable relative to the housing and the clamp assembly.
22 . The power tool accessory of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a base to which the clamp assembly is coupled, the base having a generally U-shaped base opening aligned with the generally U-shaped clamp assembly opening, wherein the base is configured to cover substantially an entirety of a bottom face of the cutting head when the generally U-shaped central opening of the cutting head is aligned with the generally U-shaped base opening.
23 . The power tool accessory of claim 19 , wherein the housing includes a cover coupled to the housing and moveable between a first position in which each cutting head is removable from the housing and a second position in which each cutting head is retained in the housing and is rotatable relative to the cover and the housing.