Abstract: Apparatus for loading or picking, temporarily storing and placing one of two side-by-side cut boards from/to a lugged conveyor is described. The apparatus preferably includes a circulating wheel oriented transversely to the lugged conveyor with the wheel having a number of arcuately spaced bins, each capable of temporarily storing a cut board, or board piece, of any crosscut length. The wheel is rotated such that its angular velocity tangent to the lugged conveyor is approximately equal to the linear velocity of the lugged conveyor. The number of bins provided in the wheel is determined by the number of boards that will have been already loaded onto the conveyor at the loading station before the pick operation can be temporarily halted by a decision of the board scanner that a cut-in-two operation will be performed.

Abstract: High-speed, lugged chain board loading apparatus is described. The apparatus includes a generally horizontal feed conveyor that defines a planar board feed zone, a pick off conveyor having projecting lugs and including an upwardly inclined run that extends across the feed zone, a receiving conveyor for receiving each board at the upper end of the run and an arrester including an adjustably positionable eccentric that moves laterally spaced stop arms synchronously with the movement of the lugs along the inclined run. In the preferred embodiment, the pick off and receiving conveyors are driven at approximately twice the speed of the feed conveyor. The conveyors include endless link chains that travel in friction inhibiting races. In an intermediate position, the free ends of the stop arms extend rearward of the inclined run to hold off the sheet of boards supported by the feed conveyor.

Abstract: Improved sticker placer apparatus is described. The apparatus includes plural, inclined sticker feed pockets for holding stickers simultaneously to be placed and vertically reciprocable placement arms, each being capable of displacing one sticker at a time from the mouth of the sticker pocket to a variable height of lumber indexed therebeneath, and each having a positive sticker capture device including a generally horizontal pivotable support arm for cradling the sticker thereabove, and a downwardly impinging pincer arm for urging the sticker downwardly throughout the placement cycle. Each placement arm further has plural stops for halting the descent of the arm when the top of the lumber is reached, a slider link mechanism providing dwell time between the arm's downstroke and upstroke and a spring-tensioned rocker arm operable during the dwell time to pivot the support arm out from under the sticker when the associated stops are reached.