Abstract: A lug loader singulates elongate workpieces from a lugged infeed transfer onto a lugged outfeed transfer. A disc is rotatable mounted between the infeed and outfeed transfers. Pivotable heels are mounted around the periphery of the disc. The heels are elongate and mounted so that they may be pivoted to extend outwardly from the periphery of the disc. When so extended the heels lift workpieces waiting on the infeed transfer and carry the workpieces over the disc as the disc rotates so as to release the workpieces onto the outfeed transfer. Each heel has a cam follower which travels along the lower cam surface of a selectively pivotable stop arm. When the stop arm is pivoted inwardly relative to the disc, the lower cam surface forces rotation of the heels into their outwardly extended position. Flow of workpieces is stopped when the stop arm is pivoted outwardly relative to the disc so as to remove the cam surface from the path of the cam followers.

Abstract: A first collar is releasably slidably journalled onto a selectively rotatable shaft so as to lie in a first plane generally perpendicular to the shaft. The first collar has a first helically inclined cam surface extending between a thin portion of the first collar and a thick portion of the first collar. A second collar is releasably mountable onto the shaft into fixed relation relative to the shaft, so as to lie in a second plane generally parallel to the first plane. The second collar has a cam follower surface such as a second helical inclined cam surface for sliding engagement over the first helically inclined cam surface between the thick portion and the thick portion of the first collar upon selective rotation of the shaft. First and second sawguides are slidably mounted on the shaft for longitudinal sliding thereon on opposed sides of the first and second collars. The first sawguide has the first collar rigidly mountable thereto, the first collar being adjacent the second collar.

Abstract: In a board positioning device for longitudinally positioning a board translating in a first direction at a translation speed on a board translating device, wherein the board translating in the first direction is aligned along its length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the board is urged by board ending rolls in the second direction against a board positioning member on the board positioning device, wherein the first and second directions lie in a generally horizontal plane, the board positioning device includes (a) a selectively actuable guide member cooperating with the board positioning member for selectively actuably guiding and positioning in the second direction the board positioning member, and (b) a board positioning member translating apparatus for translating the board positioning member in the first direction at the translation speed in cooperative alignment with the board, wherein the board is urged against the board positioning member by the board ending rolls and th

Abstract: An apparatus for optimizing sub-pixel resolution in a triangulation based target distance measuring device at a desired stand-off distance has a laser light source projecting a light beam along a light beam axis so as to project a light spot onto a surface of a workpiece, a lens having an optical axis and a depth of focus dependant on the target distance, the lens for gathering light reflected from the light spot on the surface of the workpiece, a linear photodetector array of adjacent light detecting pixels, the array having a longitudinal array axis, the array for detecting light impinging the pixels and generating an output signal indicative of the position of the pixels being impinged by the light, the light beam axis, the optical axis, and the longitudinal array axis co-planar, the lens imaging the reflected light across and impinging the array so as to form an image across the array, the output signal indicative of an intensity profile of the image impinging the array, the image defocused to a near-Sche

Abstract: A method of position-based integrated motion controlled curve sawing includes the steps of: transporting a curved workpiece in a downstream direction on a transfer, and monitoring position of the workpiece on the transfer, scanning the workpiece through an upstream scanner to measure workpiece profiles in spaced apart array, along a surface of the workpiece and communicating the workpiece profiles to a digital processor, computing by the digital processor, a high order polynomial smoothing curve fitted to the array of workpiece profiles of the curved workpiece, and adjusting the smoothing curve for cutting machine constraints of downstream motion controlled cutting devices to generate an adjusted curve generating unique position cams unique to the workpiece from the adjusted curve for optimized cutting by the cutting devices along a tool path corresponding to the position cams, sequencing the transfer and the workpiece with the cutting devices, and sequencing the unique position cams corresponding to the work

Abstract: A vacuum assisted stick and lath placer has a magazine for holding a stack of elongate members for transverse placement onto an upper surface of a tiered lumber package of longitudinally aligned tiers of lumber. A selectively actuable shear positioned beneath the magazine is selectively horizontally actuable so as to push a bottom-most elongate member from beneath the stack of elongate members into a pickup position along a travel path of a selectively telescoping vacuum pickup. The selectively telescoping vacuum pickup is selectively extendable between a retracted position, a first extended position corresponding to the pickup position, and a second extended position corresponding to the upper surface of the tiered lumber package.