Table saw with latch and arbor lock to hold a dropping blade
A table saw assembly in which a drop arm carries a shaping device (for example a saw blade) and moves between a raised position where the blade projects above the work surface and a lowered position where it does not. The assembly includes a latch that holds the drop arm in the raised position and an arbor lock that can prevent the latch from releasing the drop arm; the latch and the arbor lock are manually movable between their two positions. Intended users are table saw manufacturers and jobsite saw operators who need a controlled dropping blade mechanism.
(57) What the patent covered
This write-up was generated by AI from the patent's text and may contain mistakes, so check it against the original patent before relying on it.
The main independent claim requires: a workpiece support surface; a drop arm assembly movable along a drop path between a first position (blade extends above the surface) and a second position (blade does not extend above the surface); a latch movable between a first position that supports the drop arm in the first position and a second position that does not support it; and an arbor lock movable between a first lock position that prevents movement of the drop arm toward the lowered position when the drop arm is in the raised position and a second lock position that does not prevent that movement. Each of those four elements is required.
Distinguishing feature: Combining a mechanical latch that supports a raised drop arm with a separate arbor lock that can independently prevent release of the drop arm when the blade is raised.
Novelty 3/5. The use of latches and locks on drop arms for table saws and other power tools was known; the claim is a specific combination of a supporting latch plus an independent arbor lock rather than a fundamentally new saw mechanism.
Manufacturing
Stamped or cast metal drop arm and latch components, machined arbor and bearing bores, sheet-metal or cast table top, fasteners and hand assembly of control linkages and polymer knobs.
Materials: Stamped or cast steel for drop arm and latch components, Hardened steel shaft/arbor, Sheet metal or cast aluminum table top, Polymer knobs or levers for user controls.
Manufacturability 4/5. Several stamped/cast and machined metal parts plus simple mechanical linkages and user controls; requires standard toolroom machining and assembly but not electronics or complex subassemblies.
Market demand
No demand check has been run for this patent. Likely search terms: table saw drop arm latch, arbor lock saw table, dropping blade safety mechanism. The links in the sidebar open these searches.
Buyers: Table saw OEMs, jobsite saw buyers, professional carpenters.
Before manufacturing
No related continuation or divisional patents in force were found. Design patents, trademarks and unrelated patents may still cover the product.
Patent has lapsed; practical issues include meeting applicable safety standards (UL, OSHA), user ergonomics for controls, and crowded prior-art landscape for blade safety mechanisms.
About 1.5% of lapsed patents are later revived by their owners. This page is a research lead, not legal advice. Obtain a freedom-to-operate opinion before manufacturing.