TOOL HOLDERS

PORTE-OUTILS

English Abstract

TITLE:
Tool Holders
ABSTRACT:
Holders for tools, such as cutters for machine tools,
support the tools when they are not in use, for example
in a store or for setting or grinding.
The holder comprises a number of blocks (10) having
holes (12) or tool shanks, two end members (14), and
two bolts (16) running through the blocks (10) for
securing the blocks (10) and making them integral with
the end members (14). The blocks (10) may be of
standard dimensions to fit between the beams of a
rack, but they may also be of various widths and
provided with more than one hole (12). The end
members (14) are each provided with a handle (32)
comprising an aperture moulded in an upper part, and
have two legs (34) to make them free standing and
stackable. The end members (14) have a number of
recesses (36) at the top for the legs (34) of adjacent
holders in a stack.

Claims

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The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as
follows:
1. A tool holder comprising a number of blocks
having holes for tool shanks, two end members, and two
bolts running through the blocks from one end member to
the other for securing the blocks and end members and
making them integral.
2. A tool holder according to claim 1 in which
the blocks are provided with more than one hole.
3. A tool holder according to claim 1 in which
the end members are provided with an outward projection
for resting on a beam.
4. A tool holder according to claims 1, 2 or 3 in
which the end members are provided with a handle.
5. A tool holder according to claims 1, 2 or 3 in
which the end members each have two legs to make them
free standing and facilitate stacking.
6. A tool holder according to claims 1, 2 or 3 in
which each end member has a number of recesses on its
top for the legs of adjacent holders in a stack.
7. A tool holder according to claims 1, 2 or 3 in
which the end members have holes below the bolts all
supporting a tray on which the end of narrow tool
shanks may rest.

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8. A tool holder according to claims 1, 2 or 3 in
which the end members have a cavity for a lug on a
bracket whereby the tool holder can he mounted.

Description

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TITLE:- "TOOL HOLDERS"
DESCRIPTION
Technical Field
The invention relates to holders for tools r
such as cutters for machine tools, when they
are not in use, for example in a tool store or
machining shop, or for tool setting or grinding.
Background Art
Such tools are relatively expensive and
lG easily damaged, so tool holders are known which
comprise a hole for a tool shank, and which
secure the tool with the cutter head uppermost.
The Invention
The invention prcvides a tool holder comprising
a number of blocks having holes for tool shanks,
two end members, and two bolts runnin~ through
the blocks from one end member to the other for
securing the blocks and end members and making
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them integral. The blocks and end members can
advantageously be moulded from filled or structural
foam polypropylene or like plastics material.
The holder can be made up from a small number of
members is of simple construction, easy to use,
and adaptable to various surroundings.
The holder itself and the blocks from which
it is made up may be modular, that is of standard
dimensions, to fit between the beams of a rack or
over the bolts and between the end members.
The blocks may however be of various widths, and
provided with more than one hole, but the widths
are preferably such that a whole number of
similar blocks has a standard total width to
extend between end members and give a tool holder
of standard overall length. Alternatively,
spacer blocks may be provided. The holes
are preferably tapered so as to accept a Morse or
Internationai standard tool shank. For
non-standard tools, a single block for example
of hardwood may be provided for drilling as
desired by the user. This hardwood block may be
deeper than the other blocks or end members. A
box or tray may be suspended between the end
members in place of the blocks.

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The end members are preferably provided
with an outward projection for resting on the
beams of a rack. The end members are also
preferably each provided with a handle,
advantageousl~ comprising an aperture moulded in
an upper part, so that the whole tool holder can
conveniently be lifted with two hands without
damage to a load of tocls. The end members
preferably each have two legs to make them free-
standing and facilitate the stacking, of a numbe~of tool holders. To this end each end
member may have a number of recesses on its top
for the legs of adjacent holders in a stack. The
end members may also have holes below the bolts for
supporting a tray on which the ends of narrow tool
~h~nks may rest. The end members may have a
cavity for a lug on a bracket whereby the tool
holder can be mounted, possibly at an inclined
angle.
DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tool
holder according to the invention,
Figure 2 shows a number of alternative
arrangements of blocks for use in the holder of
Figure l;
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Figure 3 shows a number of tool holders
according to Figure 1 resting between the beams
of a rack;
Figure 4 shows two such tool holders stacked
one on top of the other;
Figure 5 shows such a tool holder mounted
in an inclined position between brackets extending
from racking uprights; and
Figure 6 shows a similar mounting on a louvred
panel which may itself be mounted on a trolley.
Best Mode
With particular reference to Figure 1, the
tool holder comprises a number of blocks 10, each
- having a hole 12 tapering from top to bottom to
fit a large tool shank. There are two end
members 14 and two bolts 16 running through all the
blocks 10 from one end member 14 to the other.
The bolts 16 are each provided with a nut 18 sunk
in a recess in each end member ~ alternatively
one end of each bolt 16 may be provided with a head~
In either case, the bolts 16 secure the end
members 14 and make the whole;integral.
Turning now to Figure 2, the alternative
arrangements of the blocks 10, from back to front
of Figure 2, comprise a set of four each having a

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single hole 12 fox a large tool shank; a set of
six each having a slightly smaller hole; five
blocks, two of which each have four small holes,
and the other three each a single hole; a set of
five each having an intermediate size hole; a
single block 22 of hardwood for drilling; and a
suspended box 24. Along the front edge of the
tops of the blocks 10 runs a shallow recess 20
for a label to indicate the shank size or like
information. Between the individual blocks 10
of the set of five, there are four similar spacer
blocks 11 each one quarter of the width of the
aajacent blocks 10 to allow room for tools with
larger cutter heads than the set of six similar
blocks second from the back of Figure 2. The
hardwood block 22 has end caps 23 from which the
ends of bolts 16 project.
Reverting now to Figure 1, the end members
14 have an outward projection 30 for resting on a
beam 50 tFigure 3~ of a rack comprising slotted
uprights 52. The end members 14 are also
provided with a handle 32 comprising an aperture
moulded in the upper part of the end m-ember 14. The
end members 14 have two legs 34, the lower ends of
which fit in recesses 36 on the top of an adjacent

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holder as shown in Figure 4. Alternatively or
in addition, further recesses may be situated
nearer the middle of the top of the handle 32 so
that an upper tool holder can straddle two lower
tool holders with a leg in a recess on the top
of each of the lower tool holders. The end
members 14 also have holes 38 below the bolts 16
for supporting a tray tnot shown~ on which the
ends of narrow tool shanks may rest.
lo On the outer faces of the end members 14,
there is a recess 40 for a label. Behind this
recess 40 and opening on the underside of the
projection 30 and on the inner face of the end
members 14 (not shown~ below the bolts 16, there is
a cavity 42 shown in broken lines at the left hand
end of Figure l. The cavity 42 receives a lug
of a bracket 62 for mounting the tool holder as
shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6. The cavity 42
is shaped so that the lug (not shown~ can enter
upward from the underside of the projection 30,
and be locked in position by rotating the tool
holder bodily to the inclined position shown in
Fig~es 5 and 6. The bracket 62 has either further
lugs (not shown) for engagement in slots in the
upright 52 as shown in Figure 5 or a flange

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64 for engagement with a louvre 68 projecting
from a panel as shown in Figure 6.