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 dimpled membrane to a foundation wall, via a fastener and a polymeric plug, is arranged to drive a fastener from a nosepiece, through the plug and the membrane, into the wall. An actuating member mounted movably on the tool is movable thereon between an extended, tool-disabling position and a retracted, tool-enabling position. A workpiece-contacting probe is mounted to the actuating member so as to be conjointly movable with the actuating member. The probe includes a plug-holding member adapted to hold the plug as the fastener is being driven, having a tubular wall defining a recess adapted to receive the plug, and having two pointed elements in diametric opposition to each other, each having a point projecting inwardly from the tubular wall so as to press against the plug received in the recess. The workpiece-contacting probe includes a mounting bracket mounted to the actuating member. In one embodiment, the plug-holding member is fixed to the mounting bracket. In another embodiment, in which the workpiece-contacting probe includes a tubular body fixed to the mounting bracket with a pair of permanent magnets positioned at opposite sides of the tubular body, the plug-holding member is mounted removably to the tubular body and is held magnetically. The magnets are adapted to hold a steel washer, which is made of a magnetizable steel, when the plug-holding member is removed.