Sander with blind mounting of a disc

Abstract

A grinder tool with blind mounting of a disc includes a center alignment mechanism having a first contact and a second contact and a rotational device including an axle that is movable with respect to the center alignment mechanism. A hub is mounted to the axle including a first coupling interface. The disc has a second coupling interface for mating with the first coupling interface. The center alignment mechanism is movable a mounting distance relative to the hub and contacts the disc with the first contact and the second contact to center align the first coupling interface with the second coupling interface. The rotational device is to slowly rotate the hub to angle align the first coupling interface with the second coupling interface to allow the disc to mate and attach to the hub.

1 . A grinder tool with blind mounting of a ferromagnetic disc, the disc having an outer circumference, the grinder tool comprising:
 a center alignment mechanism having a first contact surface and a second contact surface;   a rotational device including an axle; and   a hub mounted to the axle including a magnetic first coupling interface;
 wherein the ferromagnetic disc has a second coupling interface for mating with the first coupling interface, 
 wherein, during the blind mounting of the disc to the hub, the center alignment mechanism contacts the outer circumference of the ferromagnetic disc with the first contact surface and the second contact surface to center align the magnetic first coupling interface with the second coupling interface of the ferromagnetic disc, and 
 wherein the rotational device is operable to rotate the hub to angle align the magnetic first coupling interface with the second coupling interface to allow the ferromagnetic disc to mate and attach to the hub. 
   
     
     
         2 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more guide rods; and   a mount coupled to the one or more guide rods,   wherein the axle of the rotational device is mounted to the mount,   wherein the mount and the center alignment mechanism are movable relative to one another by a mounting distance, and the center alignment mechanism contacts the outer circumference of the ferromagnetic disc with the first contact surface and the second contact surface to center align the first coupling interface with the second coupling interface.   
     
     
         3 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , wherein the ferromagnetic disc is made of an iron or iron alloy material. 
     
     
         4 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a tool sharpening accessory that includes:
 a first arm extending in a first direction; 
 a second arm extending parallel in the first direction, wherein the first and second arms are located opposite opposing sides of the grinder tool; and 
 a tool holding support extending between the first arm and the second arm, the tool holding support having a set of pins located at predetermined positions for interfacing to a tool to be sharpened, the tool holding support adjustable along the first direction. 
   
     
     
         5 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a tool sharpening accessory that includes:
 a first arm extending in a first direction; 
 a second arm extending parallel in the first direction, wherein the first and second arms are located opposite opposing sides of the grinder tool; and 
 a tool holding support extending between the first arm and the second arm, the tool holding support having a plurality of locations for supporting a tool to be sharpened, the tool holding support being adjustable along the first direction. 
   
     
     
         6 . The grinder tool of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a pair of mounting brackets each separately attached to the first arm and the second arm,   wherein the mounting brackets allow the tool sharpening accessory to be rotatable around an axis on the plane of the ferromagnetic disc when the tool sharpening accessory is mounted to the grinder tool.   
     
     
         7 . The grinder tool of  claim 6 ,
 wherein the mounting brackets are formed with an opening shaped to allow the tool to approach the ferromagnetic disc in a direction along the plane of the ferromagnetic disc from a side of the grinder tool.   
     
     
         8 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a work shelf;   a fence for the work shelf, the fence including:
 a first clamp to fasten the fence the work shelf; 
 a screw mount extending in a direction normal to the top surface of the first clamp, and 
 a second clamp having a guide and first and second opposing surfaces extending normal from the screw mount with the first opposing surface having a first height from the center of the guide and the second opposing surfaces each having a different second height from the center of the guide; 
 a first elongated portion with a thickness about the height of the first height; 
 a second elongated portion with a thickness about the height of the second height; 
 wherein the first and second elongated portions include a channel to couple to a respective side of the guide, 
 wherein the second clamp is adjustable in a rotational axis around the screw mount and the first and second elongated portions are adjustable in a linear direction back and forth along the channel, the screw mount accepting a tightening screw knob to clamp the first or second elongated portion once positioned on the work shelf. 
   
     
     
         9 . The grinder tool of  claim 1 , wherein the rotational device includes a hand crank. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for blind loading a ferromagnetic disc that has a first coupling interface onto a grinder tool that has a rotational device connected to a magnetic hub, wherein the magnetic hub has a second coupling interface, wherein the grinder tool also has a centering mechanism having a first contact surface and a second contact surface, the apparatus comprising:
 center-alignment means for contacting an outer circumference the ferromagnetic disc onto the first contact surface and the second contact surface of the centering mechanism, wherein the first contact surface is located at a distance to a left-hand side from a vertical plane that runs through a center of the magnetic hub, and the second contact surface is located at a distance to a right-hand side from the vertical plane that runs through the center of the magnetic hub;   means for moving the ferromagnetic disc into contact with the magnetic hub;   means for rotating the rotational device relative to the ferromagnetic disc to further align the first coupling interface to the second coupling interface to allow the ferromagnetic disc to mate flatly with the hub.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the second coupling interface of the magnetic hub includes a central protrusion and one or more satellite protrusions, with the first coupling interface having a central hole and one or more satellite holes, and wherein rotating the rotational device to further align the first coupling interface to the second coupling interface further includes rotating the rotational device relative to the ferromagnetic disc until the one or more satellite protrusions of the hub align with the satellite holes in the ferromagnetic disc. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein means for rotating the rotational device includes a hand crank that is rotatable by a user to rotate the rotational device relative to the ferromagnetic disc until the one or more satellite protrusions of the hub align with the satellite holes in the ferromagnetic disc. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 one or more guide rods; and   a mount coupled to the one or more guide rods,   wherein the axle of the rotational device is mounted to the mount,   wherein the mount and the center alignment mechanism are movable relative to one another by a mounting distance, and the center alignment mechanism contacts the outer circumference of the ferromagnetic disc with the first contact surface and the second contact surface to center align the first coupling interface with the second coupling interface.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a tool sharpening accessory that includes:
 a first arm extending in a first direction; 
 a second arm extending parallel in the first direction, wherein the first and second arms are located opposite opposing sides of the grinder tool; and 
 a tool holding support extending between the first arm and the second arm, the tool holding support having a set of pins located at predetermined positions for interfacing to a tool to be sharpened, the tool holding support adjustable along the first direction. 
   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a tool sharpening accessory that includes:
 a first arm extending in a first direction; 
 a second arm extending parallel in the first direction, wherein the first and second arms are located opposite opposing sides of the grinder tool; and 
 a tool holding support extending between the first arm and the second arm, the tool holding support having a plurality of locations for supporting a tool to be sharpened, the tool holding support being adjustable along the first direction. 
   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a pair of mounting brackets each separately attached to the first arm and the second arm,   wherein the mounting brackets allow the tool sharpening accessory to be rotatable around an axis on the plane of the ferromagnetic disc when the tool sharpening accessory is mounted to the grinder tool.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the mounting brackets are formed with an opening shaped to allow the tool to approach the ferromagnetic disc in a direction along the plane of the ferromagnetic disc from a side of the grinder tool.