Abstract: In an automatic sawmill, logs are first sawn horizontally into pieces that are respectively deposited flat side down on a bed plate and conveyed through multiple, close spaced horizontal bandsaws located above the bed plate. Sawn cants are positioned by clamps to have their waney edges removed by a flying saw after clamp retraction.

Abstract: A saw guide system having a mechanism for applying an oil film to individual saw blades is described. The use of a lubricating film greatly reduces the accumulation of heat in the sawing system and allows operation of the sawing system without the introduction of cooling water. Saw guide blocks having both common and separate distribution networks for oil and water may be utilized in the saw guide system.

Abstract: An automatically-controlled system for ripcutting a cant into a plurality of boards includes the conveyor for advancing the cant transversely along a substantially straight path. Optical scanning stations along the path determine the shape of the usable board area which is fed to a control system. The control system, in turn, directs a mechanism which orients the cant on a sawing table. The cant is held in a fixed position on this table while a plurality of overhead saws make a series of parallel cuts on the board. The wane edges fall away and the resulting cut boards are transferred to an outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: An emergency shutdown system for an air-balanced pumping unit which includes a pump motor, a walking beam driven by the pump motor, a rod string reciprocated by the beam, and an air-balance cylinder and an air receiver which together define an air spring for storing energy from the beam is disclosed. A lever arm is pivotally mounted on the walking beam and attached at one end to the rod string so that a rotational moment is exerted in proportion to the weight of the rod string. Such rotational moment is opposed by an air bag, the output force of the air bag being adjustable within the expected range of the rotational moment. Thus, by properly adjusting the air bag, loss of load on the rod string results in movement of the lever arm. A shutdown valve is operatively connected to the lever arm and bleeds air from the air cylinder upon loss of load.