Abstract: An elevated grade station drive system includes a plurality of conveyor sections for conveying workpieces downstream at a variable transfer speed along and between the plurality of sections according to control instructions provided by a control system. The output from at least one workpiece position sensor cooperates with corresponding upstream conveyor sections and provides workpiece position data to the control system. Each conveyor section has a corresponding variable frequency drive cooperating in variable speed driving engagement therewith. The control system controls each variable frequency drive so as to interlock adjacent conveyor sections for smooth translation of the workpieces between adjacent conveyor sections without crushing or binding the workpieces. The plurality of conveyor sections may include a plurality of lugged conveyors, which may be lugged chains.

Abstract: An improved slider block is a length of flanged channel having a cut-out in the lower web of the channel to accommodate mounting a flat bar journalled in the cut-out. The flanged channel is resilient. The flanged channel has a length sufficient to cover the length of a base plate on which the flat bar is orthogonally mounted. The sides of the channel define a cavity having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the base plate. A pair of flanges extend inwardly over the cavity from the sides of the channel so as to define a chain-receiving slot therebetween. The base plate mounts within the cavity. The base plate is welded to a chain so that when the base plate is mounted in the cavity the chain is mounted in and along the chain-receiving slot.

Abstract: A generic, scalable consumer subsystem/producer subsystem interface controller for exchanging data between at least one producer subsystem configured to produce a set of services characterized in a producer generated data set, and at least on consumer subsystem configured to consume the set of services, including an object-oriented producer application program interface configured for use on a multi-threaded, client-server operating system, wherein producer routines are configured to: initialize producer server objects maid producer client objects; receive requests for data from a consumer subsystem via the producer client objects; send acknowledgments to a consumer subsystem in response to requests from the consumer subsystem via the producer server objects; send data to a consumer subsystem in response to requests from the consumer subsystem via the producer server objects; and wherein consumer routines are configured to: initialize consumer server objects and consumer client objects; send requests for data

Abstract: A stick placer includes a stick magazine and a stick receiver. A stop regulates passage of the lowermost stick from a lower opening in the stick magazine. The stick receiver is rotatable and has a stick receiving pocket. The stick receiver is selectively rotatably mounted adjacent the lower opening in the stick magazine. The stick receiver is rotatable between a stick receiving position and a stick depositing position. In the stick receiving position the pocket cooperates with the lower opening so as to receive the lowermost stick into the pocket when the stop is selectively removed so as to release the lowermost stick from the lower opening in the magazine. In the stick depositing position, the stick receiver is angularly displaced from the stick receiving position so as to dispose the pocket for deposit of the stick from the pocket onto an upper tier of a stack of lumber.

Abstract: A lumber trimming device for trimming elongate workpieces conveyed on an infeed conveyor in a laterally disposed orientation relative to an infeed direction. The lumber trimming device includes a gang of laterally spaced apart drop saws wherein the drop saws are independently actuable according to generally optimized trimming instructions from an optimizer. At least on end-trimming saw is mounted adjacent the gang. The end-trimming saw or saws is or are selectively laterally translatable according to optimized end-trimming instructions from the optimizer so as to cooperate with the gang. The end-trimming saw or saws cooperate with the optimizer and the drop saws so that a first drop saw of the drop saws is actuated simultaneously with optimized lateral positioning of a first end-trimming saw so as to trim a first workpiece of the workpieces on the infeed conveyor simultaneously by both the first drop saw in a first trim cut and the first end-trimming saw in a second trim cut.

Abstract: An apparatus for repositioning a workpiece on a lugged conveyor, where the conveyor has lugs for carrying the workpiece spaced apart by a lug space in a downstream direction. The apparatus includes a sensor for detecting the position of the workpiece on the conveyor and relaying position information to a processor, at least one running element mountable in cooperation with the conveyor, a selectively actuable actuator cooperating with the processor for the selective actuation of the running element.

Abstract: A saw guide pad seal enables recycling of the coolant/lubricant used in a lumber sawing operation. The saw guide pad seal directs the coolant to coolant return chambers. The coolant return chambers have a negative pressure developed from the motion of the saw blade or provided by a vacuum pump or blower, and return the coolant to the coolant tank. A heat-exchanger is optionally used to control the temperature of the coolant, providing more consistent operation of the saw, and a filter is optionally used to remove contaminants before the recycled coolant is provided to the saw blade(s).

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting the probable existence, location, and type of defects in a workpiece is described. The apparatus includes a sensor subsystem, an optimizer, a control subsystem, and a computer system having a processor and computer readable memory. The sensor subsystem senses a first section of the workpiece and produces signals corresponding to a physical characteristic of the workpiece. The computer system is configured to generate a workpiece model based on the signals produced by the sensor subsystem. In an alternate embodiment, a defect assembler can be provided to merge signals front a plurality of sensor subsystems. The defect assembler can also be configured to generate the workpiece data model. The optimizer is configured to generate workpiece segmentation recommendations based on the workpiece data model.