Mitre, marker and set-back tool for doorway trim
United States Patent 1 OKeefe Apr. 29, 1975 l l MITRE, MARKER AND SET-BACK TOOL FOR DOORWAY TRIM [76} Inventor: Stanley James OKeete, l72l Sutherland Ave. North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [5l] Int. Cl. GOlb 11/14 [58] Field of Search 33/189, 180 R 174 G [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Vaara .v 33/189 X Primary Examiner-William D. Martin, Jr. Attorney. Agent, or FirmCarver and Company [57] ABSTRACT A tool for use as a mitre marker and set-back gauge for doorway trim and the like having body portion formed of a plurality of parallel leaf members releasably clamped in a compact bundle and having a relatively flat undersurface and a flat side face at right angles to the undersurface. A thin leaf-like guide fence is clamped between a pair of leaf members spaced from the flat side fence a distance equal to the desired trim setback and a pair of projecting pointed marker members are clamped between a second pair of leaf members transversely spaced from the guide fence a distance equal to the desired trim setback 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures MITRE, MARKER AND SET-BACK TOOL FOR DOORWAY TRIM BACKGROUND OF THE INVFNTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to carpenters tools and in particular to a tool to facilitate m..rking and cutting of mitre corners for doorway trim and to serve as a set back gauge for obtaining desi ed trim mback.  
 2. Prior Art In doorway construction, trim which includes a header piece and side pieces is. conventionally, normally disposed around the door jamb such that the inner edges are set back from the faces of the side and header jambs between one-fourth inch and one-half inch. The head piece and side pieces are conventionally mitre cut to provide a 45 mitre joint. It is, therefore. necessary that length of the trim pieces be very accurately measured before cutting and furthermore they must be set at the correct set-back otherwise an accurate mitre joint is not obtainable.  
  The required careful measurement and proper placing the trim is very time consuming and it is usually found that only a very experienced carpenter has the required expertise to do the job in a workman-like manner.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tool which enables a relatively inexperienced workman to cut and set a doorway trim with very little trouble and in a relatively short time and yet provide a workman-like job.  
 The tool of the present invention has a substantially rectangular body formed ofa plurality of parallel, rectangular, leaf-like members of the same length and width releaseably bound together in a compact bundle having a flat undersurface and a side surface at right angles to the undersurface, a longitudinally extending pointed marking member clamped between a pair of the leaf-like body members and projecting from an end of the body, and a leaf-like guide fence, clamped between another pair of leaf-like members, projecting from the undersurface of the body and being disposed midway between the marking member and said side of the body at a distance from the marking member and said side of the body equal to the desired set-back of the trim from the face of the door jamb.  
  A detailed description following, related to the drawings, give exemplification of apparatus and method according to the invention which, however, is capable of expression in method and means other than those particularly described and illustrated.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of the tool inverted so that the underside is uppermost, showing one form of marker member,  
  FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of the tool in an assembled condition,  
  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tool located on a door jamb. shown partially, in a position to mitre mark a section of trim.  
  FIG. 4 is an end view of the tool on the door jamb. shown partially, in use as a set-back gauge.  
  FIGS. 5 and 6 are isometric views of other forms of marker members.  
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. I and 2 and also with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the mitre marker and set-back tool. generally 10, of the invention has, when in condition ready for use, as shown in FIG. 2 an elongated rectangular body 11 which is formed ofa plurality of thin rectangularly-shaped leaf-like members 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8 and 11.9. The leaf members have the same length and width and the outer leaf member 11.9 has a pair of cylindrical rods 13-13 secured thereto, as by welding, which extend through holes, severally 14, in the remainder of the leaf members. A pair of knurled nuts 15-15 engage threaded ends of the rods and bind the leaf members into a compact bundle forming the body 11, the latter having a flat undersurface 16. In the tool shown, all of the leaf members with the exception of leaf members 11.2 and 11.3 are one-eighth inch in thickness, leaf members 11.2 and 11.3 being one-sixteenth inch in thickness. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the number nor thickness of the leaf members shown. Number and thickness is a matter of choice determined by the degree of desired adjustability of the tool.  
  The tool, which in all views is set for a A-inch trim set-back, is provided with a guide fence 21 which is in the form of a leaf shorter in length than the leaf members 11.1 to 11.9 which is wider than the latter and which is thin enough, approximately one-sixteenth inch in thickness, to enable it to be slideably inserted between a door and door jamb. The guide fence fits on the rods 13 between an adjacent pair of leaf members, in this case between leaf members 11.7 and 11.8. The guide fence 21 being wider than the leaf members 11.1 to 11.9 has a portion 21.1 projecting outwards of the undcrsurface 16 of the body.  
  The tool also has a pair of marking members 25 and 26 located between leaf members 11.5 and 11.6. Marker member 25 has an elongated body portion 27 terminating at its outer end in a bevelled point 28 and is bent at its opposite or inner end to provide a lateral lug 29. A pair of legs 31-31 which terminate in rightangularly bent feet 32-32 extend from the body portion. In assembled form the feet 32-32 overlie the leaf member 11.6 and maintain the marker members in Ion gitudinal alignment with the leaf members. Marker member 26 is the same as marker member 25. One side face 33 of the leaf member 11.5 is provided with a plurality of transverse V-shaped grooves 34 with which the lugs 29 of the marker members engage. The marker members can be adjustably positioned longitudinally of the body between a retracted position for safekeeping or desired position of extension. engagement of the lugs with the V-shaped grooves preventing longitudinal displacement from any adjusted positions.  
  The tool as shown is, as previously indicated, set up for mitre marking and use as a set-back gauge for providing a trim set-back of one-fourth inch. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 as the leaf members 11.8 and 11.9 are one-eighth inch in thickness the outer face of the leaf member 11.9 is one-fourth inch from one face 21.2 of the guide fence and the leaf members 11.6 and 11.7 also being one-eighth inch in thickness spaces the marker members 25 and 26, one-fourth inch away from the opposite face 21.3 of the guide fence.  
  With reference to FIG. 3 the tool is shown in use in mitre marking a header trim piece 41, shown partially only. The tool is positioned with its undersurface against the outer edge face 42 of a side jamb 43 with the guide fence against the inner face 44 of the side jamb. The tool is then moved upwards to mark the inside mitre corner of the header trim piece 4] which is held in position over and parallel to the header jamb 45. The tool is then positioned in a like manner on the opposite side jamb, not shown, and the other end ofthe header trim piece 45 then marked. The header trim piece is then mitre cut (broken line 46) from the marks as provided, providing an inside length exactly one-half inch longer than width of the doorway opening, ln mitre marking the side trim pieces both pieces are posi tioned with the lower ends on the floor and using the header jamb 45 as the reference, the tool is then used to mitre mark the upper ends of the side trim pieces. The inside length of each of the side trim pieces is thus one-fourth inch longer than the length of the doorway.  
  With reference to FIG. 4 the side trim pieces are accurately positioned as to set-back by reversing the tool so that the face 21.2 ofthe guide fence rides against the inside face ofthe side jamb 42 so that the outer face of the leaf member 119 acts as a guide face up to which the edge of the trim 47 can be brought to provide an exact Ki-inch set-back and then secured in place. Provided that the side trim pieces have been properly cut and positioned their mitred upper ends will offer an exact fit to the mitred ends of the header trim piece.  
  Although the tool as described is set for a Ai-inch setback it can easily and quickly be adjusted to provide various set-backs in increments of one-sixteenth inch by interposing leaf members of varied thicknesses on opposite sides of the guide fence.  
  FIG. shows another form of marking members 51 and 52 which are positioned in the tool in the same manner as described with reference to marker members and 26.  
  Marker member 51 is the same as marker member 52 and has an elongated body portion 53 pointed at one end 54 and having a lateral lug 55 at its opposite end, A leaf section 56 projects laterally from the body section and is provided with an elongated slot 57 of sufficient width to slideably accept the cylindrical rods l3l3. The leaf section terminates in a laterally bent flange 58.  
  It is seen that engagement of any rod l3 with the slot 57 and the restraint provided by the flange 58 which The marker member 61 also has openings 64-64 accepting the rods 13-13.  
  Marker member 61 cannot, of course, be disposed between a retracted and extended positions.  
 I claim:  
  I. A tool for use as a mitre marker and set-back gauge for trim around a doorway comprising:  
 a. a substantially rectangular body formed ofa plurality of elongated, rectangularly shaped leaf members disposed in longitudinally extending side by side relationship and having a flat underface and a side face normal to said underface,  
 b. means for releaseably clamping the leaf members into a compact bundle,  
 c. a leaflike longitudinally extending guide fence projecting out of and perpendicular to said underface having one side surface spaced a predetermined distance from the said side face,  
 dv a longitudinally extending pointed marker member projecting from an end of the body spaced transversely from said guide fence a distance equal to the distance between the guide fence and the said side face of the body,  
 e. said fence and marker members have portions extending between adjacent leaf-like members clampably engaged by the latter when the leaf members are bound in said compact bundle.  
  2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the leaf members are identical as to length and width but are of various widths so as to enable adjustability of distance be tween the guide fence and said side surface and the fence guide and the marking member.  
  3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for binding the leaf-like members into a compact bundle includes a pair of rods extending in spaced parallelism from one of the members and openings formed in the other of the leaf members adapted slideably to accept the rods, and knurled nuts having threaded engagement with the rods.