Power tool

Abstract

A planer including a housing having a base planing surface for contacting a workpiece, a rotatable blade cylinder located within said housing and including more than one cutting blade for engaging with and planing the work piece. A drive means is associated with the blade cylinder and operable to cause rotation of the blade cylinder. The drive means is located within the housing, above the axis of rotation of the blade cylinder and a chip an debris removal channel passes from the location of the cylinder to the rear end of the planer.

1 . A powered planer tool. said planer tool comprising: 
 a cylinder with at least one cutter blade mounted thereon;    motor to cause the cylinder to rotate about an axis of rotation with a portion of the cylinder exposed through an opening in a planing surface of the planer to cause the removal of material from a surface of a workpiece along which the planing surface is moved; and    said cylinder and motor mounted within a housing and within a 120 degree are depending upwardly from the rotational axis of the cylinder.    
   
   
       2 . A planer according to  claim 1  wherein the motor is positioned above the said axis of rotation of the cylinder and offset to one side or the other of said axis.  
   
   
       3 . A planer according to  claim 1  wherein the weight of the motor is directly above the cutting blade cylinder.  
   
   
       4 . A planer according to  claim 1  wherein the housing of the planer includes a chip and debris removal system, said system including at least one channel which passes from an opening at or adjacent to the blade chamber in which the cylinder is located to at least one further opening to allow the chips and debris to exit towards the rear of the housing and a movable passage is incorporated within the planer or attached to the rear of the planer at the end of the at least one channel, and is used to direct the chips or shavings in a direction desired by a planer operator.  
   
   
       5 . A planer including: 
 a housing having a base planning surface for contacting a work piece;    a rotatable blade assembly located within said housing and including one or more cutting blades for engaging with and planning the work piece;    a motor associated with the blade assembly and operable to cause rotation of the blade assembly:    wherein the motor is located within the planer housing directly above the blade assembly such that the weight of the motor is directly above the cutting blades.    
   
   
       6 . A planer according to  claim 5 , wherein the blade assembly is rotatably mounted within a blade chamber, the blade chamber being a void space surrounding the blade assembly into which chips or shavings off the workpiece are drawn by the stream of air created by a high speed rotation of the blade assembly.  
   
   
       7 . A planer according to  claim 6 , wherein the housing of the planer further includes a channel for removal of chips of shavings from the workpiece.  
   
   
       8 . A planer according to  claim 7 , wherein the channel opens at one end into the blade chamber and the opposite end of the channel opens at the rear of the planer.  
   
   
       9 . A planer according to  claim 8 , further including two passages connected to the channel selectively via a selection means for directing the chips or shavings along an open passage as desired by the planer operator.  
   
   
       10 . A powered planer tool comprising; 
 a housing:    a cylinder mounted within the housing with at least one cutter blade mounted thereon, said cylinder rotatable about an axis of rotation with a portion of the cylinder exposed through an opening in a planing surface of the planer to cause the removal of material from a surface along which the planing surface is moved; and    a driving device mounted within the housing and positioned in the housing above the axis of rotation of the cylinder with respect to the planing surface.    
   
   
       11 . A planer according to  claim 10  wherein the driving device is positioned above the said axis of rotation of the cylinder when the tool is in use with the planing surface on a work piece, and offset to one side or the other of said axis.  
   
   
       12 . A planet according to  claim 10  wherein weight of the driving device is above at least one of the cutting blades.  
   
   
       13 . A planer according to  claim 12  wherein the weight of the driving device is directly above the cylinder.  
   
   
       14 . A planer according to  claim 10  wherein the housing further comprises a chip and debris removal system, said system including at least one channel which passes from an opening at or adjacent to a blade chamber in which the cylinder is located, the channel continuing to at least one further opening to allow chips and debris to exit towards a rear of the housing.  
   
   
       15 . A planer according to  claim 10  wherein the planer is portable.  
   
   
       16 . A planer according to  claim 10  wherein the planer is battery operated.  
   
   
       17 . A planer according to  claim 10  wherein the planer is provided with a power cord and operated by standard electrical power.  
   
   
       18 . A powered planer tool comprising: 
 a housing;    a cylinder with at least one cutter blade mounted thereon, said cylinder rotatable about an axis of rotation with a portion of the cylinder exposed through an opening in a planing surface of the planer to cause the removal of material from a surface along which the planing surface is moved the cylinder further comprises more than two straight cutting blades positioned about 120 degrees, or less, apart around a periphery of the cylinder; and    a driving device for rotating the cylinder;    
   
   
       19 . A planer according to  claim 18  wherein said driving device is positioned to one side of the axis of rotation of the cylinder and is removed from the planing surface.  
   
   
       20 . A planer according to  claim 18  wherein during one rotation of the cylinder, at least three different blades contact the surface to be planed.  
   
   
       21 . A planer comprising: 
 a housing having a base planing surface for contacting a work piece;    a rotatable blade assembly located within said housing and having one or more cutting blades for engaging with and planing the work piece; and    a motor associated with the blade assembly and operable to cause rotation of the blade assembly, the motor located within the housing, above the blade assembly such that the weight of the motor is above the cutting blades.    
   
   
       22 . A planer according to  claim 21 , wherein the blade assembly is rotatably mounted within a blade chamber, the blade chamber being a void space surrounding the blade assembly into which chips or shavings from the work piece are drawn by a stream of air created by high speed rotation of the blade assembly.  
   
   
       23 . A planer according to  claim 22 , wherein the housing further comprises a channel for the passage of chips or shavings from the work piece.  
   
   
       24 . A planer according to  claim 23 , wherein the channel opens at one end into the blade chamber and an opposite end of the channel opens towards a rear of the planer.  
   
   
       25 . A planer according to  claim 24 , wherein a movable passage is incorporated within the planer or attached to the rear of the planer at the opposite end of the at least one channel and is used to direct the chips or shavings in a direction desired by a planer operator.  
   
   
       26 . A planer according to  claim 24 , further comprising two passages, selectively connected to the channel via a selection device for directing the chips or shavings along an open passage formed as desired by a planer operator.  
   
   
       27 . A planer according to  claim 21  wherein the motor is located in the planer such that the motor lies within a 120° arc depending upwardly from the rotational axis of the cylinder.  
   
   
       28 . A planer according to  claim 21  wherein the motor is positioned above an axis of rotation of the cylinder and offset to one side of said axis.  
   
   
       29 . A power planer tool, said planer tool comprising: 
 a housing;    a cylinder with two or more helically shaped cutter blades mounted thereon; and    a drive means to cause the cylinder to rotate about an axis for rotation with a portion of the cylinder exposed through an opening in a planing surface of the planer to cause removal of material from a surface along which the planing surface is moved, said cylinder and drive means mounted within the housing.    
   
   
       30 . A power planer tool according to  claim 29  wherein said blades are positioned substantially at 180 degrees or less apart around periphery of the cylinder.  
   
   
       31 . A planer comprising: 
 a housing having a base planing surface for contacting a workpiece    a rotatable blade assembly located within said housing and having one or more cutting blades for engaging with and planing the workpiece; and    a motor associated with the blade assembly and operable to cause rotation of the blade assembly, the motor located within the housing, above the blade assembly such that the weight of the motor is above the cutting blades, said blade assembly rotatably mounted within a blade chamber, said blade chamber being a void space surrounding the blade assembly into which chips or shavings from the workpiece are drawn by a stream of air created by high speed rotation of the blade assembly. said housing including a channel for passage of chips or shavings from the workpiece and wherein the channel opens at one end into the blade chamber and an opposite end of the channel opens towards the rear of the planer and from which the chips or shavings are discharged from the housing, wherein said channel passes substantially adjacent the planing surface with the housing.    
   
   
       32 . A planer according to  claim 31  wherein the said channel passes substantially in line with the blade chamber and along the center of the housing to the rear of the housing.