Abstract: Green brick newly formed by pushing a slug through a wire cutter, have their longitudinal edges shaped by means of a plurality of rollers positioned above and across the path of conveyance of the bricks so that each roller simultaneously engages the adjacent edges of two adjacent bricks. The shape imparted to the brick edges is governed by the shape of the peripheral portions of the rollers. The rollers are mounted on a shaft at fixed locations along the shaft in alignment with the wires of the wire cutter. Before operation the locations of the rollers along the shaft may be adjusted through spacers in order to adapt the rollers to different sizes of bricks. The roller mounting shaft may be adjusted in a vertical plane towards or away from the conveyor path to adjust the depth of the rollers for a specific operation or to sufficiently raise the rollers away from the conveyor path where they may be kept idle when not in use.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing bales of tobacco compressed between opposed boards with strapping applied about the boards with predetermined tension. Tobacco is compressed in a chamber at the bottom of a charger and then ejected in one direction along a horizontal plane directly between a pair of opposed boards which are then moved with the tobacco therebetween at right angles to said one direction to the strapping station. The tobacco and boards are constrained during movement to the strapping station to control the dimension and shape of the bale prior to strapping which can then be applied with predetermined tension to maintain dimensional control over the bale.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for stacking or stacking as well as facing, bricks. In stacking, the bricks are conveyed to adjacent horizontal fold plates and then one of the plates is moved under the other plate to place the bricks one above the other. The underlying plate with the bricks thereon is moved horizontally away from the upper plate while the bricks on the upper plate are also moved in the same direction so that they are stacked on the bricks on the lower plate. The lower plate is then elevated with the stack of bricks thereon after which the bricks are conveyed off the plate by newly arriving incoming bricks. When it is desired to stack the bricks with their faces contacting each other, after the bricks arrive on the plates (hereinafter termed the first and second plates), the plates are separated in a horizontal plane to expose a third underlying fold plate. The first and second plates are then folded or pivoted upwardly 90.degree.