Patents Assigned to Key Knife, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9168672
    Abstract: A knife with disposable inserts. Either (1) a front side of the knife body has a cutting edge, the front side of the insert is removably mounted to a rear side of the knife body, and either (A) a rear side of the insert has a cutting edge, or (B) the rear side of the insert has a blunt face that forms a rear side of the knife; or (2) a rear side of the knife body has a blunt face that forms the rear side of the knife, the rear side of the insert is removably mounted to the front side of the knife body, and the front side of the insert has a cutting edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Charles Hinchliff
  • Patent number: 8534330
    Abstract: A knife and knife assembly for a planer side head. An L or an LV type side planer head is retro-fitted with knives having substantially less mass than the knives originally provided for these heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Charles Hinchliff
  • Patent number: 8225828
    Abstract: A modular conical chipper/canter head and method. A preferred method adjusts the cutting head for changes in chip length. The method includes the steps of providing an annular facing module, providing a conical, solid hub module for mounting one or more chipping knives, and at least one of (a) installing one or more control plates between the facing module and the hub module, and (b) removing the one or more control plates from between the facing module and the hub module, for spacing the facing and hub modules apart a selected amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: John P. Greiner
  • Patent number: 8033308
    Abstract: A double-sided wear insert, for a knife assembly that includes a knife, a clamp, and a holder. In one embodiment, the wear insert can be turned end-for-end, and in another embodiment the wear insert can be flipped up-side down, to double the service life of the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7891388
    Abstract: A knife and knife assembly for a planer side head. An L or an LV type side planer head is retro-fitted with knives having substantially less mass than the knives originally provided for these heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Charles Hinchliff
  • Patent number: 7836923
    Abstract: A ring slicer with easily removable knife and knife assembly. According to one aspect of the invention, a ring assembly comprises two end plates for rotation about an axis of rotation. Each of the knife assemblies comprises an elongate knife having a cutting edge extending along an elongate axis, a base, and a clamp for clamping the knife to the base. The knife assemblies are adapted for installation between the end plates such that the shoulder portions of at least two shoulder bolts extend through one of the end plates into the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7798186
    Abstract: A high speed planer head. Disclosed according to one aspect of the invention is a hub and a threaded member. The hub is axially disposed for rotation about an axis, and has a pocket for receiving a first knife against a supporting wall of the pocket. The threaded member has a frustoconical ramping portion for producing a wedging force against the knife when the threaded member is threaded into a threaded hole in the hub. According to another aspect of the invention, a second hub for carrying a second knife is provided, the second hub preferably being bolted to the first hub to that the hubs can be disassembled. The second knife preferably has two linear cutting edges and the second knife preferably has at least two curvilinear cutting edges and more preferably has four concave, semi-circular cutting edges that are spaced apart from one another with 90 degree rotational symmetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7708040
    Abstract: A high speed planer head. A threaded member having a frustoconical portion wedges against a knife, to clamp a knife to a hub for rotating the knife about an axis of revolution. The knife has a front and back side, two cutting edges and mirror image symmetry about a mirror plane passing through the knife. To cut both a planar face and two opposed, radiused corners, the cutting edges include respective linear face-cutting portions disposed between two concave, arcuate corner-cutting portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7677282
    Abstract: A knife assembly and chipping knife therefor. The knife is rotated about an axis and has a front side facing the direction of rotation. The knife has a single deflector ridge extending from the front side of the knife and two indexing features on either side of the deflector ridge, each corresponding to spaced apart, parallel cutting edges of the knife defining a plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7441571
    Abstract: A conical chipper/canter head. The head includes, at least, one or more chipping knives. Each chipping knife provides at least one pair of linear cutting edges including a face cutting edge and a chip cutting edge angled with respect to each other. The face cutting edge defines a planar, face cutting surface of revolution of the cutting head, and the chip cutting edge defines a conical, chip cutting surface of revolution of the cutting head. The face and chip cutting edges of the same chipping knife lie in substantially the same plane. A cutting head may include a plurality of facing knives and corresponding clamping members in addition to one or more chipping knives. The facing knives and corresponding clamping members are adapted so that each of the facing knives is removable from the cutting head without removing any other facing knives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley R. Stager, Jianmin Liao
  • Patent number: 7343946
    Abstract: A high speed planer head. Disclosed according to one aspect of the invention is a hub and a threaded member. The hub is axially disposed for rotation about an axis, and has a pocket for receiving a first knife against a supporting wall of the pocket. The threaded member has a frustoconical ramping portion for producing a wedging force against the knife when the threaded member is threaded into a threaded hole in the hub. According to another aspect of the invention, a second hub for carrying a second knife is provided, the second hub preferably being bolted to the first hub to that the hubs can be disassembled. The second knife preferably has two linear cutting edges and the second knife preferably has at least two curvilinear cutting edges and more preferably has four concave, semi-circular cutting edges that are spaced apart from one another with 90 degree rotational symmetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7219706
    Abstract: An apparatus having adjustable saws for wood cutting. A cutting head has at least two spaced apart disk-saws for producing respective slicing cuts in an article of wood, the saws defining respective distinct outer cutting diameters. Preferably, the disk-saws are bolted to the cutting head and spaced apart therefrom adjustable amounts by interdisposed control plates of predetermined thicknesses. Preferably, a first one of the disk-saws defines an annular ring having an inner diameter, and the outer cutting diameter for the first disk-saw is greater than the outer cutting diameter of a second one of the disk-saws. The outer cutting diameter of the second disk-saw is then less than the inner diameter of the first disk-saw, so that the second disk-saw is nested inside the first disk-saw while remaining axially displaceable therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 7140408
    Abstract: A knife assembly and chipping knife therefor. The knife assembly includes a knife, and employs an upper clamping member and a lower clamping member for clamping the knife therebetween. The knife has an elongate axis and two spaced apart cutting edges parallel to the elongate axis and defining a first reference plane. The knife is further defined by a plane of reflective symmetry that is perpendicular to the first reference plane and which contains the elongate axis. The knife has a front side and a back side spaced from the front side. The front and back sides terminate in the cutting edges. A deflector ridge projects from the front side and reaches a point of greatest maximum projection of the knife from the first reference plane, the point lying in the plane of reflective symmetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Charles Hinchliff, Jianmin Liao
  • Patent number: 7069969
    Abstract: A wood chipping or cutting knife assembly providing improved knife stability. A number of control surfaces and other geometric features are provided to stabilize the knife in the assembly. An improved splitter is also provided for the knife assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Knappett, Brian J. Rusaw, Peter J. Marshall, Bradley R. Stager, John S. Luecke
  • Patent number: 6968879
    Abstract: A knife and apparatus for clamping the knife. The knife has front and back sides that, preferably, both include interlocking features adapted for interlocking engagement with corresponding inner and outer clamping members, to prevent slippage of the knife from the clamping members in orientations wherein the knife rests thereon in the chipping apparatus when the knife is unclamped. Preferably, the interlocking feature of the back side of the knife includes a semi-cylindrical groove, and the interlocking feature of the front side of the knife includes two spaced-apart deflector ridges. Preferably, the interlocking feature of the outer clamping member is a projection having a semi-cylindrical tip portion wherein the semi-cylindrical shape is preferably half-cylindrical, and wherein the projection extends from an inner surface of the outer clamping member sufficiently far that most of the back side of the knife does not make contact therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Loren R. Schuh, Tobias L. Simonsen
  • Patent number: 6757952
    Abstract: A ring slicer having an easily removable knife and knife assembly. Within the scope of the invention, there is an apparatus for cutting an article of wood, comprising a ring assembly comprising two end plates and a plurality of knife assemblies. Each knife assembly comprises a knife, a base, and a clamp for clamping the knife to the base. The assemblies are provided for installation between the end plates. According to one aspect of the invention, the bases include one or more first apertures and at least one of the end plates includes a corresponding set of one or more second apertures therethrough for receiving respective dowel pins. The first apertures are adapted to snugly slidingly receive the respective dowel pins. According to another aspect of the invention, for each knife assembly, the clamp includes an upper clamping member that is mounted to the base so that a portion of the upper clamping member is cantilevered from the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley R. Stager
  • Patent number: 6712105
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for planing an article of wood. Specifically disclosed is a cutting head adapted for rotation about an axis, and at least one elongate knife including a linear cutting edge for cutting the wood. The cutting edge terminates at opposite ends of the knife in respective tips. The knife is held by the cutting head so that each tip is rotated about the axis of rotation at the same fixed radius. However, the cutting edge is misaligned by a predetermined bias angle with respect to the axis of rotation. Where a plurality of the cutting heads are stacked or ganged together, preferably, the angle of misalignment for the knives of some of the cutting heads is reversed from the angle of misalignment for the knives of others of the cutting heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin O. Cannon, Thomas Charles Hinchliff
  • Patent number: 6688351
    Abstract: An adjustable profiling head for a wood cutting apparatus. There is a first body portion for carrying a plurality of first knives and a second body portion for carrying a plurality of second knives. The cutting edges of the knives define respective cutting surfaces of revolution about an axis that have different mean diameters for the two body portions. In one aspect of the invention, the body portions are adapted to receive the respective knives by associated knife clamping mechanisms that are adapted to be removably mounted to the body portions with one or more first control plates therebetween, for adjusting the radial positioning of the knives. In another aspect of the invention, the body portions are adapted to be removably mounted to each other so that the body portions are disposed axially adjacent one another with one or more second control plates therebetween, for adjusting the relative axial positioning of the knives of one of the body portions with respect to the knives of the other body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley R. Stager, John S. Luecke
  • Patent number: 6637483
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for profiling a log. In a profiler having first and second knives disposed on a rotating disc, a mounting member is adapted to mountably receive both the first and second knives so that each blade has a point on its cutting edge that is proximate a point that is on the cutting edge of the other knives. Preferably, the points are end most points and abut one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley R. Stager, John S. Luecke
  • Patent number: RE38930
    Abstract: An improved knife holder for a chipper disc. A knife holder for boding a knife has a first clamping portion and a second clamping portion for clamping the knife therebetween. One of the clamping portions pivots about a pivot point for clamping the knife and for releasing the knife so that it may be easily removed from the knife holder. In the relative position of the clamping portions in which the knife is clamped and in their relative positions in which a space is opened up around the knife permitting its removal, the clamping portions are rigidly disposed with respect to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Key Knife, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy M. Swartwood, Douglas O. Keller, Loren R. Schuh