Spring clamp for a support leg

Abstract

A detachable support for a workpiece, and in particular a bending brake, includes a workpiece support and a clamp pivotally attached to the workpiece support. The clamp further comprises a lever that pivots about a pivot axis relative to the workpiece support between an unclamped position and a clamped position, the clamp being biased toward the clamped position. In operation, a user pivots the clamp into an unclamped position, places the detachable support structure into positional engagement with the workpiece, and then releases the clamp into clamping engagement with the workpiece.

1 . A detachable support leg for a workpiece comprising:
 a) a workpiece support having a longitudinal axis;   b) a clamp pivotally attached to the workpiece support and further comprising a lever that pivots about a pivot axis relative to the workpiece support between an unclamped position and a clamped position; and   c) a biasing member for biasing the lever toward the clamped position.   
   
   
       2 . The detachable support leg of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece support. 
   
   
       3 . The detachable support leg of  claim 2 , wherein the workpiece support further comprises a first guide recess for receiving a portion of a workpiece. 
   
   
       4 . The detachable support leg of  claim 4 , the lever further comprising a first end for engagement by a user and a second end for engagement with a workpiece, the second end of the lever further defining a second guide recess with the workpiece support when the lever is in the clamped position. 
   
   
       5 . The detachable support leg of  claim 4 , wherein the first guide recess extends longitudinally along a length of the workpiece support. 
   
   
       6 . The detachable support leg of  claim 5 , wherein the second guide recess extends along a width of the clamp. 
   
   
       7 . The detachable support leg of  claim 1 , wherein the clamp is attached to the workpiece support by a pivot pin, the biasing member being secured around the pivot pin. 
   
   
       8 . The detachable support leg of  claim 7 , wherein the pivot pin is secured to a bifurcated channel in an interior of the workpiece support. 
   
   
       9 . The detachable support leg of  claim 1 , wherein the clamp is positioned relative to the detachable support leg such that it can be biased into the unclamped position simultaneously with a positioning of the workpiece support into an engagement with the workpiece. 
   
   
       10 . The detachable support leg of  claim 1 , wherein the workpiece is a bending brake. 
   
   
       11 . A bending brake comprising at least one removable support leg, the at least one removable support leg further comprising a clamp having a lever that pivots about a pivot axis between an unclamped position and a clamped position, the lever biased toward the clamped position for biased engagement with the bending brake. 
   
   
       12 . The bending brake of  claim 11 , wherein the bending brake further comprises a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, and the pivot axis is parallel to the transverse axis of the bending brake. 
   
   
       13 . The bending brake of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one removable support leg further comprises a first guide recess for receiving a portion of the bending brake. 
   
   
       14 . The bending brake of  claim 13 , the lever further comprising a first end for engagement by a user and a second end for engagement with the portion of the bending brake, the second end of the lever further defining a second guide recess with the at least one removable support leg when the lever is in the clamped position. 
   
   
       15 . A method of attaching a support leg to a bending brake, comprising:
 a) providing a support leg with a clamp that moves between an open position and a clamped position;   b) simultaneously gripping the support leg and the clamp such that the clamp moves into the open position;   c) positioning the support leg into engagement with the bending brake; and   d) releasing the support leg with the clamp in the clamped position thereby attaching the support leg to the bending brake.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the clamp is pivotally attached to the support leg such that the clamp pivots about a pivot axis between the open and clamped positions. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the clamp is biased toward the clamped position. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the clamp is centrally positioned on the support leg. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the bending brake further comprises a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, and the pivot axis is parallel to the transverse axis of the bending brake. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising attaching another support leg to the bending brake.