WORKPIECE-CONTACTING PROBE FOR FASTENER-DRIVING TOOL FOR FASTENING DIMPLED MEMBRANES TO FOUNDATION WALLS VIA FASTENERS AND POLYMERIC PLUGS

摘要

A combustion-powered, fastener-driving tool useful to fasten a dimpledmembrane to a foundation wall, via a fastener and a polymeric plug, is arrangedto drive a fastener from a nosepiece, through the plug and the membrane, into thewall. An actuating member mounted movably on the tool is movable thereonbetween an extended, tool-disabling position and a retracted, tool-enabling position.A workpiece-contacting probe is mounted to the actuating member so as to beconjointly movable with the actuating member. The probe includes a plug-holdingmember adapted to hold the plug as the fastener is being driven, having a tubularwall defining a recess adapted to receive the plug, and having two pointed elementsin diametric opposition to each other, each having a point projecting inwardly fromthe tubular wall so as to press against the plug received in the recess. Theworkpiece-contacting probe includes a mounting bracket mounted to the actuatingmember. In one embodiment, the plug-holding member is fixed to the mountingbracket. In another embodiment, in which the workpiece-contacting probe includesa tubular body fixed to the mounting bracket with a pair of permanent magnetspositioned at opposite sides of the tubular body, the plug-holding member ismounted removably to the tubular body and is held magnetically. The magnets areadapted to hold a steel washer, which is made of a magnetizable steel, when theplug-holding member is removed.