Abstract: A stick allocator for transferring laterally aligned sticks between a holding location on a longitudinal in-feed transfer means and a high-speed longitudinal out-feed transfer means has a lower, selectively rotatable, stick lifting and translation means, disposed generally beneath the holding location, for frictionally engaging a lower surface of a stick held laterally in the holding location. Lifting the stick frictionally engages an upper surface of the stick with an upper, selectively rotatable, stick receiving and translating means, disposed generally above the holding location. The upper, selectively rotatable, stick receiving and translating means frictionally engages the upper surface of the stick and biases the stick against the lower, selectively rotatable, stick lifting and translating means.

Abstract: A device for placing transversely aligned spacing-sticks onto a top surface of a lumber stack. The device having a longitudinally translatable conveyor with stick supporting hooks depending therefrom, the conveyor and the supporting hooks adapted to convey longitudinally the spacing-sticks extending transversely across the conveyor and the stack of lumber, having a stick transferring device for transferring the spacing-sticks from the stick supporting hooks to the upper surface of the lumber stack. The stick transferring device having a first and a second vertically translatable frame, the second vertically translatable frame selectively longitudinally translatable relative to the first vertically translatable frame.