Abstract: A rotatable cutter head comprising an inner hub having a centrally-disposed bore therethrough and an outer surface for carrying at least one cutter plate concentrically thereon for rotation therewith, an outer hub having a centrally-disposed bore therethrough and an outer surface for carrying at least one cutter plate thereon for rotation therewith. The bore of the outer hub is adapted for receiving the inner hub concentrically therein for rotation therewith. An outer pressure-expansible sleeve is provided for being concentrically-mounted within the bore of said outer hub and pressurized for locking the outer hub onto the inner hub. An inner pressure-expansible sleeve is concentrically-positioned in the bore of the inner hub and pressurized for locking the inner hub onto a rotatable spindle, whereby the inner hub and outer hub and the respective cutter plates mounted thereon are locked in fixed, concentric relation relative to each other and to the rotatable spindle.

Abstract: A wooden flooring strip having a top surface having a decorative finish and a base surface opposed to said top surface. The base surface has a multiplicity of closely spaced-apart scores extending into the flooring strip from the base surface transverse to the length of the flooring strip along substantially the entire length of the flooring strip to relieve stress and increase flexibility in the wood strip for more closely adhering to irregularities of a sub-floor. The flooring strip has substantially longitudinally-extending wood fibers in an area of the flooring strip between the scores and the top surface of the flooring strip which have been broken to an extent sufficient to relieve tension on the top surface of the flooring strip and to equalize tension on the wood fibers adjacent both the top surface and base surface of the flooring strip.

Abstract: A flooring product for application to a subfloor which includes a wooden flooring component for installation with like flooring components to form a floor. The flooring component has a top surface for being exposed after installation and a base surface, a pressure-sensitive adhesive carried on a foam tape applied and permanently adhered directly to the base surface of the flooring component for providing an attachment interface surface for adhering the flooring component to the subfloor, and a protective release cover applied and releasably adhered to the attachment interface surface of the adhesive to protect the adhesive until removal of the release cover when the flooring component is applied to the subfloor.

Abstract: A method of hardening wooden flooring blanks by impregnating the wooden flooring blanks with a hardener while the wooden flooring blanks are in a bundle, wherein the bundled hardened wooden flooring blanks have improved separation characteristics following completion of the impregnation treatment. The method includes the steps of assembling a plurality of wooden flooring product blanks into a bundle of blanks in surface-to-surface contact with each other and enclosing the wooden flooring blanks in a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel is evacuated and an effective quantity of a hardening composition for being impregnated into the wooden flooring blanks is introduced into the pressure vessel. An effective quantity of a polyethylene glycol composition is introduced into the pressure vessel. The wooden flooring blanks are soaked in the hardening composition and the polyethylene glycol composition for a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A flooring product for application to a subfloor which includes a wooden flooring component for installation with like flooring components to form a floor. The flooring component has a top surface for being exposed after installation and a bottom surface, a layer of an adhesive applied and permanently adhered directly to the bottom surface of the flooring component for providing an attachment interface surface for adhering the flooring component to the subfloor, and a protective release cover applied and releasably adhered to the attachment interface surface of the adhesive to protect the adhesive until removal of the release cover when the flooring component is applied to the subfloor.

Abstract: A method of producing a hardwood flooring product, including the steps of processing a strip of raw wood into a blank having a predetermined thickness and width, and top and bottom surfaces defining parallel planes relative to each other, and splitting the blank along the width of the blank from one side to the other to form two low profile flooring strips having the same width as the blank and a thickness less than one-half the thickness of the blank. The splitting step includes the steps of providing first and second circular saw blades mounted on spaced-apart vertical axes for rotation in a single plane intermediate and parallel to the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the blank and positioning the blank on conveying means upstream from the saw blades with the plane of rotation of the saw blades intermediate and parallel to the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the blank for movement of the blank from an upstream position to a downstream position relative to the saw blades.

Abstract: An apparatus for increasing the flexibility of and straightening wooden flooring strips of the type having a top surface having a decorative finish and a base surface opposed to the top surface. The base surface has a multiplicity of closely spaced-apart scores extending into the flooring strip from the base surface transverse to the length of the flooring strip along substantially the entire length of the flooring strip to relieve stress and increase flexibility in the wood strip for more closely adhering to irregularities of a sub-floor. The apparatus has an infeed zone for feeding flooring strips downstream from an upstream processing station and an outfeed zone for discharging the flooring strips to a downstream processing station. A conveyor conveys the flooring strips downstream from the infeed zone to the outfeed zone.

Abstract: An apparatus for applying adhesive and a protective release paper to successive elongate wooden flooring strips having a top decorative side, and a bottom adhesive side for being adhered to a supporting subfloor. The apparatus includes an infeed conveyor for receiving successive wooden flooring strips top side-up from an upstream processing station in parallel lengthwise alignment to each other and moving the flooring strips in a direction of movement perpendicular to the length of the flooring strips. An accumulator equally spaces the flooring strips apart on the infeed conveyor. An inverter receives successive flooring strips from the infeed conveyor and inverts the flooring strips from top decorative side-up to bottom adhesive side-up. An applicator conveyor receives the inverted flooring strips from the inverter and moves the flooring strips end-to-end in a direction of movement parallel to the length of the flooring strips.

Abstract: A wood flooring product for assembly into a wood floor is disclosed. The flooring product includes a top, decorative layer, an intermediate layer bonded to the top layer, and a base layer bonded to the intermediate layer. The top, intermediate and base layers are bonded in registration to define a laminated elongate wood flooring strip. A tongue and a groove are formed on respective side edges of the flooring strip. The tongue and groove extend along the length of the flooring strip, and lock adjacent flooring strips together side-to-side to form an assembled wood floor. The base layer has a multiplicity of closely spaced-apart scores cut transverse to the length of the flooring strip along substantially the entire length of the flooring strip. The scores relieve stress and increase flexibility in the wood strip for more closely adhering to irregularities of a sub-floor.

Abstract: Wood products impregnated with from 30 to 80% of a polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of hexanediol diacrylate and hexanediol dimethacrylate have excellent indent resistance. The wood products are impregnated with the monomer solution by placing the wood under a vacuum to remove air, contacting the wood with a monomer solution containing a polymerizable hexanediol diacrylate and/or hexanediol dimethacrylate monomer and from 0.5 to about 2 percent of a thermally activated free radical source as a polymerization initiator for a period sufficient to achieve the desired polymer loading. The wood is then heated under pressure to polymerize or cure the monomers.

Abstract: Wood products impregnated with from 30 to 80% of a polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of hexanediol diacrylate and hexanediol dimethacrylate have excellent indent resistance. The wood products are impregnated with the monomer solution by placing the wood under a vacuum to remove air, contacting the wood with a monomer solution containing a polymerizable hexanediol diacrylate and/or hexanediol dimethacrylate monomer and from 0.5 to about 2 percent of a thermally activated free radical source as a polymerization initiator for a period sufficient to achieve the desired polymer loading. The wood is then heated under pressure to polymerize or cure the monomers.

Abstract: Wood products impregnated with from 30 to 80% of a polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of hexanediol diacrylate and hexanediol dimethacrylate have excellent indent resistance. The wood products are impregnated with the monomer solution by placing the wood under a vacuum to remove air, contacting the wood with a monomer solution containing a polymerizable hexanediol diacrylate and/or hexanediol dimethacrylate monomer and from 0.5 to about 2 percent of a thermally activated free radical source as a polymerization initiator for a period sufficient to achieve the desired polymer loading. The wood is then heated under pressure to polymerize or cure the monomers.

Abstract: A method of producing a hardwood flooring product, including the steps of processing a strip of raw wood into a blank having a predetermined thickness and width, and top and bottom surfaces defining parallel planes relative to each other, and splitting the blank along the width of the blank from one side to the other to form two low profile flooring strips having the same width as the blank and a thickness less than one-half the thickness of the blank. The splitting step includes the steps of providing first and second circular saw blades mounted on spaced-apart vertical axes for rotation in a single plane intermediate and parallel to the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the blank and positioning the blank on conveying means upstream from the saw blades with the plane of rotation of the saw blades intermediate and parallel to the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the blank for movement of the blank from an upstream position to a downstream position relative to the saw blades.