Ironing board

Abstract

An adjustable ironing table (10) includes a top board (12) and collapsible legs (22,24). A housing (46) has a vertical wall (48) extending perpendicularly relative to the top board (12) and a horizontal wall (50). The vertical wall (48) includes an opening (52) for guiding a control element (36) through the housing (46). The horizontal wall (50) includes a slot (54). A plate (44) extends through the slot (54). A compression spring (42) is retained by the control element (36) between the vertical wall (48) and the plate (44), the spring (42) pivoting the plate (44) relative to the slot (54) to engage the control element (36). The top board (12) includes a peripheral flange (20) having an outwardly curled periphery (78). The top board (12) further includes a flat stretched portions (16) extending along the length of the top board ( 12). One of the legs (22) is connected by a base member (92) to guide rails (74), the base member (92) having four point containment of the guide rails (74). The present invention further provides a method of making the ironing board (10).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of making an ironing board (10) including the steps of: pressing a sheet of metal (140) .[.downwardly.]. .Iadd.in a first direction .Iaddend.over a .Iadd.first .Iaddend.die (142) and forming a top board (12) and flange (20) .[.thereabout.]. .Iadd.extending in the first direction from the top board .Iaddend.with an edge (148) of the flange (20) curved .Iadd.outwardly .Iaddend.away from the top board (12); cutting the metal (140) about the edge (148); and .[.curling the edge (148) of the flange (20) outwardly into the flange (20) by forming a curled and closed portion (78) curled away from the top board (12) when said flange (20) is viewed in cross section..]. .Iadd.pressing the outwardly curved edge (148) of the flange (20) into a curved form (160) in a second die (158) in a second direction further outwardly curling the curved edge (148) and pressing the outwardly curling edge (148) with a third die (168) in a direction towards the board inwardly curling the edge into engagement with the flange (20). .[.2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said curling step is further defined as pressing the outwardly curved edge (148) of the flange e(20) into a curved form (160) in a die (158) to upwardly curl the curved edge (148) and pressing the upwardly curled edge (148) further into a curved form (170) in a second die (168) to curl the 
     
     
        edge into the flange (20)..]. 3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pressing steps are further defined as downwardly pressing the formed top board (12) to force the formed flange (20) into the curved .[.forms.]. .Iadd.form .Iaddend.(160.].,170) of the .[.dies.]..Iadd.die .Iaddend.(158.[.,168) .Iadd.to upwardly curl the edge and further pressing the board (12) to force the curled edge into a second die (168) to form 
     
     
        the curled closed portion.Iaddend.. 4. A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of stretching portions of the metal (140) to form flattened strips (16) of metal along the length of the board (12). 
     
     
           A method as set forth in claim 4 further including the step of securing 
     
     
        guide rails (74) to the flattened strips (16). 6. A method as set forth in claim 5 where the step of securing is further defined as welding a flange (89) of the guide rails (74) to spaced strips (16) of the flattened metal. 
     
     
        . A method as set forth in claim 5 further including the steps of mounting a first leg (22) between the guide rails (74) for sliding movement therealong and fixedly securing a second leg (24) to the top board (12) 
     
     
        for pivoting movement relative thereto. 8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of securing the second leg (24) is further defined by the steps of inserting a first axle portion (122) extending from the second base portion (104) of a second leg (24) into a first recessed portion (116) of a second housing (108) mounted on the top board, sliding a second axle portion (112) of the second leg (24) into an oppositely facing second recessed portion (114) until a base portion (104) of the second leg (24) engages an edge of the recessed portion (114), and crimping a portion (124) of the first recessed portion (116) to abut against an end of the first axle portion (122) thereby operatively connecting the second base portion (104) of the second leg (24) to the top 
     
     
        board (12). 9. A method of making an ironing board including the steps of forming a top board (12); connecting a first leg (22) to the top board (12); and inserting a first axle portion (122) extending from a base portion (104) of a second leg (24) into a first recessed portion (116) of a second housing (108) mounted on the top board, sliding a second axle portion (112) of the second leg (24) into an oppositely facing second recessed portion (114) until a base portion (104) of the second leg (24) engages an edge of the recessed portion (114), and crimping a portion (124) of the first recessed portion (116) to .[.Abut.]. .Iadd.abut .Iaddend.against an end of the first axle portion (122) thereby operatively connecting the second base portion (104) of the second leg 
     
     
        (24) to the top board (12). 10. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein one of the recessed portions (116) in the housing (108) includes a pair of spaced slots (120) defining two band (124,126) over a channel (110) for receiving one of the axle portions (122), said crimping step being further defined as crimping the band portion (124) disposed between the band (126) adjacent to base portion (104) of the second leg (24) and the remainder of the housing (116).