Elbow attachment

Abstract

An elbow attachment for a power tool coverts the torque of the power tool drive shaft to a transverse shaft which is supported by a housing to extend angularly with respect to the drive shaft. A pinion gear is mounted on the power tool drive shaft and a face gear is mounted on the transverse shaft interiorly of the housing. The face gear and pinion gear engage one another when the elbow attachment housing is mounted to the power tool housing. The pinion gear has teeth with a face width which allows for variability in the precise mounting of the elbow attachment housing to the power tool housing, without any significant resultant detriment to operation of the

1 . An elbow attachment kit for use with a power tool having a housing which supports a drive shaft which is rotary about its longitudinal axis and which protrudes externally of the power tool housing at a driving end of the housing, the attachment kit comprising: a pinion gear detachably mounted on the drive shaft at a location externally of the power tool housing and at a predetermined distance from the driving end of the housing, said pinion gear having gear teeth with faces of predetermined face width which extend substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the power tool drive shaft, an elbow member, including an elbow member housing having a power tool engaging end which is engageable with the power tool housing adjacent its driving end, a transverse shaft having a longitudinal axis and supported by the elbow member housing to be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft of the power tool upon engagement of the elbow member housing with the power tool housing, the transverse shaft having a tool engaging end disposed externally of the housing for engaging a tool, and a face gear having gear teeth which extend substantially radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the transverse shaft, with the face gear being mounted on the transverse shaft at a predetermined position at which the teeth of the face gear are engageable with the teeth of the pinion gear when the elbow member housing is engaged with the power tool housing.  
     
     
         2 . An elbow attachment kit in accordance with  claim 1  in which the relative positions of the pinion gear and face gear are such that the teeth of the face gear engage the teeth of the pinion gear at approximately the midspan of the face width of the pinion gear teeth upon engagement of the elbow member housing with the power tool housing.  
     
     
         3 . An elbow attachment kit in accordance with  claim 1  in which the teeth of the face gear remain engaged with the teeth of the pinion gear throughout movement of the face gear parallel to the drive shaft toward or away from the driving end of the power tool housing an amount less than one-half the face width of the pinion gear teeth.