US-12617049-B2 - System for locating fences on drill press and router tables

US12617049B2US 12617049 B2US12617049 B2US 12617049B2US-12617049-B2

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system for locating a drill press or router table fence comprises a center-post insert having a protrusion located in a central portion of the center-post insert, a center-point template having a plurality of openings sized to closely receive the center-post insert, wherein the openings are located at a range of predetermined distances, and a fence having a securing mechanism, the fence located at a distance set by the center-point template, wherein the center-point template is placed on the center-post insert at a chosen opening, and the fence is secured against the center-point template at a distance determined by the chosen opening.

Inventors

John P. Penczak

Assignees

John P. Penczak

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220901

Claims (17)

1 . A system for locating a drill press or router table fence, comprising: a center-post insert for installation in an inset recess of a table, the center post insert having a protrusion located in a central portion of said center-post insert; a center-point template having a plurality of openings sized to closely receive said center-post insert, wherein said openings are located at a range of predetermined distances; and a fence having a securing mechanism, said fence being positionable at a distance set by said center-point template; wherein said center-point template is configured to be placed on said center-post insert at a chosen opening, and said fence is secured against said center-point template at a distance determined by said chosen opening.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising the table having the inset recess.
3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising first and second dowel rod stops for assembly with the table to secure the fence at the set distance.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein each of said dowel rod stops has a T-bolt installed at a flat end of said dowel rod stop and a clamping knob installed at an opposite end of said dowel rod stop, said clamping knob used to secure said dowel rod stop to said table.
5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a blank insert having an outer perimeter that matches an outer perimeter of the center-post insert.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said securing mechanism comprises a clamping fastener.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of openings are organized on said center-point template in two sets of opposite angled parallelograms.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the center-point template comprises at least forty openings.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the center-post insert comprises a panel, a cylindrical protrusion, a secondary support piece, and two screws.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fence includes a T-square guide bar, a first T-slot for stops, and a second T-slot for an extension bar.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the fence accepts a plurality of fasteners along said first T-slot to secure stops at different distances where a workpiece can be secured against.
12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the stop assembly has a set screw to lock against the bottom of the T-slot.
13 . The system of claim 12 wherein the thumb nut can be loosened to remove the stop without dislodging the set screw.
14 . A method for operating a system for locating a drill press or router table fence, comprising: placing a center-post insert into an inset recess on a workshop table; placing a center-point template on top of said center-post insert using one of a plurality of openings sized to closely receive said center-post insert; positioning a fence along an edge of said center-point template at a position determined by the selected opening; securing said fence against said center-point template using a securing mechanism; removing said center-point template from said center post insert; removing said center-post insert from said inset recess; placing a blank insert into said inset recess; and positioning a workpiece against said fence.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing two dowel rod stops assembled with the workshop table, said dowel rod stops being operable to slide along said workshop table and secure flush against said fence, allowing said fence to be removed and reset after said blank insert is placed into said inset recess.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein said fence includes a T-square guide bar, a first T-slot for stops, and a second T-slot for an extension bar.
17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing a single dowel rod stop on said workshop table, said stop able to slide along said workshop table and secure flush against said fence, allowing said fence to be removed and reset after said blank insert is placed into said recess.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to and all benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/239,642, filed Sep. 1, 2021 and entitled SYSTEM FOR LOCATING FENCES ON DRILL PRESS AND ROUTER TABLES, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to the positioning of a drill press or router fence on a drill press or router table. In particular, the present invention relates to a distance template that allows for an accurate installation of a drill press or router fence depending on the location of the template. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Currently, an easy, foolproof and universal method is not available to set a drill press or router fence at the exact distance from the center point of a drill bit or router bit to the face of the drill press or router fence. The drill press or router fence can be made using a plethora of materials and acts as a stopper for a workpiece to be pressed against. The fence may be locked in place and allow for accurate and repeated drilling or routing. Several tools such as a tape measure or flat ruler can be used but often result in off-center mistakes even if you measure twice. Shims can be placed between the fence and drill bit or router bit, but one half the diameter of the bit must be added to get the centerline dimension and multiple shims may be required. Other tools can measure to the center but still require reading a rule or digital scale. Each new fence location requires a new reading and possibly a new mistake. SUMMARY According to one embodiment, a system for locating a drill press or router table fence comprises a center-post insert having a protrusion located in a central portion of the center-post insert, a center-point template having a plurality of openings sized to closely receive the center-post insert, wherein the openings are located at a range of predetermined distances, and a fence having a securing mechanism, the fence located at a distance set by the center-point template, wherein the center-point template is placed on the center-post insert at a chosen opening, and the fence is secured against the center-point template at a distance determined by the chosen opening. According to another embodiment, a method for operating a system for locating a drill press or router table fence comprises placing a center-post insert into an inset recess on a workshop table, placing a center-point template on top of the center-post insert using one of a plurality of openings sized to closely receive the center-post insert, positioning a fence along an edge of the center-point template at a position determined by the selected opening, securing the fence against the center-point template using a securing mechanism, removing the center-point template and the center-post insert from the inset recess, placing a blank insert into the inset recess, and positioning a workpiece against the fence. According to yet another embodiment, a method for operating a system for locating a drill press or router table fence comprises placing a blank insert into an inset recess on a workshop table, inserting a drill press bit or router bit into a center-point template using one of a plurality of openings sized to closely receive the drill press bit or router bit, positioning a fence along an edge of the center-point template at a position determined by the selected opening, securing the fence against the center-point template using a securing mechanism, removing the center-point template, and positioning a workpiece against the fence. According to another exemplary embodiment, a system for locating a drill press or router table stop along the Y axis comprises a center-post insert having a protrusion located in a center portion of the center-post insert, wherein the openings are located at a range of predetermined distances a center-point template having a plurality of openings sized to closely receive the center-post insert, a center-point fence having multiple sliding stops, wherein the center-point template is placed on the center-post at a chosen opening from the fence center point to the stop, and the fence is set along one side of the template and the sliding stop is set against the adjacent side. According to another exemplary embodiment, a fence for locating a workpiece on a work table includes an elongated fence body, a guide bar, and a stop assembly. The guide bar is secured to the bottom surface of the elongated fence body and extends perpendicular to the elongated body, the guide bar being sized to be received in a slot in the work table. The stop assembly includes a threaded nut, a set screw, stop body, and a thumb nut. The threaded nut is receivable in a bottom recess of a longitudinally extending track in the upper surface of the elongated fence body. The set screw is threadably engageable with the threaded nut and has a threaded shaft portion and a head por