Abstract: The disclosure describes an apparatus, known in the lumber industry as a board or cant feeder, used to separate and move laterally, one by one, pieces of lumber having at least two parallel sawn or cut faces. These pieces are first brought side by side, in a single layer, to the apparatus by means of multiple carrying chains which move them transversally. They are then individually picked up on the upstream side of the apparatus by a grapple type mechanism mounted on a rotating element which delivers them singularly on its downstream side, by means of acceleration chains, to a group of receiving chains equipped with lugs, thus providing a controlled uniform feed to a lumber manufacturing process.

Abstract: The disclosure herein describes an apparatus for the measuring and positioning of cants and their subsequent feeding to a sawing station. A feed table is used for conveying the cants towards the station and includes a lateral guide against which each cant is positioned. A scanning device measures transverse distances across the planar faces of the cant at intervals during its travel on the feed table. The information is recorded by computer which, in turns, causes the cant to be clamped between live rolls after the scanning and positioned to provide optimum positioning and orientation of the cant relative to the sawing elements.

Abstract: The disclosure describes an apparatus to move, individually and at a controlled rate, sawlogs and tree stems from a first multiple feeding station to a second station situated at a higher level than that of the first station; it comprises a frame and two sets of movable plates, both extending in parallel vertical planes. A system of levers is connected to the two sets of movable plates so as to serve as support and to supply them with a trajectory defining an arc of a circle. A rotary motor, a drive lever and a link cooperate to provide this trajectory with a sinusoidal-type acceleration.

Abstract: In a watt-hour meter for metering electricity consumption of the type including: a disc mounted to a rotation shaft and a register mechanism. The watt-hour meter is further provided with a reading device including a light source creating a light beam; a light detector; a light interrupting device mounted on the shaft of the disc; a pulse meter and a protective cover; wherein the light source and light detector are protected from outside light, which may influence the reading of the pulse meter, by the protective cover. This reading device may be coupled to a data transmission line via a data recorder to allow remote reading of the electricity consumption.