Abstract: Wood strands are oriented into parallelism with the aid of a number of adjacent, generally parallel spaces defined by relatively thin, elongated guide members having flat sides with the longitudinal axes of the guide members extending substantially parallel to a support surface below the spaces for receiving the parallel, oriented wood strands. Each pair of adjacent guide members are moved in opposite directions to turn strands which span the guide members until the strand falls into the space therebetween. In one form of the invention, certain of the guide members have yielding projections on their upper margins and the other guide members have positive projections on their upper margins, each yielding projection having a pair of inclined end edges and each positive projection having end edges generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the corresponding guide member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for use in producing a wood product comprising at least one layer of binder-coated wood strands oriented into parallelism by causing the strands to fall through elongated, parallel spaces defined by a plurality of generally rigid plates or flexible belt stretches located in vertical planes and parallel to each other above a moving support. The distance from each plate or belt stretch to the next adjacent plate or belt stretch is less than the average length of the strands. In one embodiment, adjacent, generally rigid plates reciprocate in opposite directions relative to each other. In another embodiment, adjacent belt stretches of an endless, flexible belt move in opposite directions with respect to each other.