Abstract: A lumber unscrambler and conveyor having first and second rigid units mounted at an incline on a support structure. Each unit has a plurality of spaced apart parallel plates in series along the incline and parallel thereto. The plates on the respective first and second units are inter-leaved in alternate relation. The plates have an upper article supporting surface and a leading edge generally transverse to the incline. The leading edge of plates proximate the in-feed end are of greater depth than those further along the path toward the out-feed end. The units are supported on the support structure to move relative thereto and one another. The units are driven in synchronized out of phase relation reciprocating along the inclined path. A hopper at the in-feed end receives and holds a supply of lumber pieces of selected dimension and as the plates reciprocate they move pieces of the lumber from the hopper to the out-feed end discharging normally only a single stick one after another.

Abstract: A sawmill that is a compact integrated unit of a multiplicity of components all mounted on a common frame for performing different functions to produce pieces of lumber from a log. Logs can be processed that have a minimum diameter of approximately 2" and a minimum length of approximately 42" with the overall length of the mill being approximately 17'. There are a number of power driven feed and guide rolls that propel a log endwise along a fixed path. The processing components include first and second pairs of chipper canter units with novel chipper heads, a pair of rabbet units in which each has a pair of cutter heads on concentric telescopic shafts and power driven rolls for off-feeding pieces of lumber of differing widths. The log feed speed and/or chipper head speed can be varied to provide chips of selected different lengths. Positioning of the processing units is controlled by a programmed processor unit.