Tile butterer
View Patent ↗A tile buttering system has a hopper that has a base member with a fixed wall on one side and a generally parallel movable wall on the opposing side. A back wall is located at one end of the base member so that a fixed gap exists between the back wall and the base member. A front wall, which is a trowel blade is located at the second opposing end of the hopper. The height between the base member and the front wall is variable as is the distance between the fixed wall and the movable wall. Appropriate set screws lock the trowel at its desired height and the movable wall at its desired distance from the fixed wall. The hopper is filled with an adhesive, tile is passed into the hopper via the gap at the back wall, and the tile exits the hopper via the gap at the trowel blade. The tile exits the hopper buttered with the adhesive to a desired thickness and troweled.
1 . A hopper:
a base member having a first end and an opposing second end joined by a first side and an opposing second side;
a fixed wall extending upwardly from the base member proximate the first side of the base member;
a back wall extending upwardly from base member and attached to the fixed wall such that a first gap exists between the base member and the back wall;
a movable wall extending upwardly from the base and connected to the back wall, the distance between the movable wall and the fixed wall being variable; and
a front wall removably attached to the fixed wall and to the movable wall, such that a second gap exists between the base member and the front wall, the second gap being variable in height between the base member and the front wall.
2 . The hopper was in claim 1 wherein the front wall is a trowel blade.
3 . The hopper as in claim 1 wherein the movable wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the movable wall, the set screw pressing into the base member.
4 . The hopper as in claim 1 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the fixed wall, the set screw pressing the front wall into the fixed wall.
5 . The hopper as in claim 1 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the movable wall, the set screw pressing the front wall into the movable wall.
6 . The hopper as in claim 1 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a first set screw attached to the fixed wall, the first set screw pressing the front wall into the fixed wall and a second set screw attached to the movable wall, the second set screw pressing the front wall into the movable wall.
7 . The hopper as in claim 1 wherein the movable wall has a first pin that is received within a first channel located on the base member.
8 . The hopper as in claim 7 wherein the movable wall has a second pin that is received within a second channel located on the back wall.
9 . A hopper:
a base member having a first end and an opposing second end joined by a first side and an opposing second side;
a fixed wall extending upwardly from the base member proximate the first side of the base member;
a back wall extending upwardly from base member and attached to the fixed wall such that a first gap exists between the base member and the back wall;
a movable wall extending upwardly from the base and connected to the back wall, the distance between the movable wall and the fixed wall being variable; and
a front wall, which is a trowel blade, the front wall having a top edge facing upwardly and an opposing bottom edge facing downwardly toward the base member, the front wall removably attached to the fixed wall and to the movable wall, such that a second gap exists between the base member and the front wall, the second gap being variable in height between the base member and the front wall and wherein the base member is located on a first plane and the front wall is located on a second plane such that the first plane and the second plane are non-perpendicular to one another.
10 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the movable wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the movable wall, the set screw pressing into the base member.
11 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the fixed wall, the set screw pressing the front wall into the fixed wall.
12 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a set screw attached to the movable wall, the set screw pressing the front wall into the movable wall.
13 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the front wall is held in a given position by a first set screw attached to the fixed wall, the first set screw pressing the front wall into the fixed wall and a second set screw attached to the movable wall, the second set screw pressing the front wall into the movable wall.
14 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the movable wall has a first pin that is received within a first channel located on the base member.
15 . The hopper as in claim 14 wherein the movable wall has a second pin that is received within a second channel located on the back wall.
16 . The hopper as in claim 9 wherein the top edge of the front wall is closer to the back wall relative to the bottom edge of the front wall.