Piercing of air suction holes in abrasive sheet material

Claim 1

For use with a portable sander having an essentially rectangular power actuated movable section which is adapted to carry an abrasive sheet and contains a plurality of spaced suction openings through which air and abraded particles are withdrawn by suction from a work surface, a piercing tool comprising: an essentially flat and essentially rectangular plate having four edges; a plurality of projections attached rigidly to said plate in a pattern corresponding to that of said suction openings in said movable section of the sander, and projecting from said plate in a predetermined direction essentially perpendicular to the plate; said projections terminating in outer essentially sharp ends adapted to pierce openings in said abrasive sheet upon movement thereof with said movable section toward said plate; a first flange at a first edge of said plate projecting in said direction and essentially perpendicular to said plate for engaging a first side of said movable section in locating relation; and a second flange at a second edge of said plate perpendicular to said first edge and projecting in said direction essentially perpendicular to the plate to engage and locate a second side of said movable section; both of said flanges projecting in said direction farther than said sharp ends of said projections, to both engage sides of and locate said movable section before it reaches said sharp ends upon movement of said section and a carried abrasive sheet toward said plate.