Abstract: This invention comprises an apparatus or mechanism and a method of using it to recover petroleum from a floating slick or spill by means of absorbing the petroleum in powder particles principally comprising a reaction product of polyurethane, a catalyst, and a strong cationic polymer comprising an agent which produces a foam product that has a strong affinity for combining physically with petroleum resembling a magnetic attraction between the same. The reaction product is formed into desired sizes of elongated block-like shapes which are fed to a shredding assembly of saw blades that reduce the solid shapes into irregularly-shaped powder particles that are capable of being used in at least two ways to attract and adsorb petroleum by bonding. One way is to employ a porous boom of substantial diameter and length that is used to at least partially enclose a predetermined area of the slick or spill, the particle content of the boom absorbing adjacent petroleum.

Abstract: This invention comprises an apparatus and a method of using it to recover petroleum from a spill or the like floating, for example, on a body of water. Powder particles which have a strong affinity for combining physically with petroleum are adapted either to be sprayed upon the spill to adsorb it or surround the floating particles with a boom for movement to apparatus including a centrifuge operated at high speeds to separate the petroleum from the particles and thereby recover the same. The preferred apparatus also includes a porous boom containing such particles and surrounding a slick with said boom which floats on the body of water on which the spill is disposed and, with the aid of tugboats or the like, the boom adsorbs petroleum and the tugboats move the boom to discharge mechanism. The apparatus also includes devices operable to remove adsorbed particles from the boom and recover the petroleum from the particles by centrifugal action as stated above.

Abstract: A woodworking machine to form finished dimensional lumber from cants by a single pass of the cants through the machine and comprising compression and feed rollers above and below a longitudinal path and parallel longitudinally offset arbors respectively are mounted above and below the path upon which spaced saw blades are mounted with opposed blades in common planes and of diameters adequate to form complete cuts through a cant during a single pass, the arbors also supporting between the blades additional cutters to plane the edges of the dimensional lumber and form rounded edges thereon.

Abstract: A gas generating system deriving useful BTU products from cellulosic waste material and comprising a conical shell to which the waste material is fed at the bottom and moved upwardly by an auger to permit the expanding walls of the cone to loosen the material by sintering action in the upper portion of the shell in a combustion zone located above the level of a row of air inlet ports substantially midway of the shell, the shell also having a gas accumulating chamber in the top thereof and a gas discharge device leading from the chamber to gas purifying and cooling mechanism including spray devices, a settling tank and liquid storage tank operating in a manner to re-use liquid incident to the operation of the spray devices. Operation of the controlled air delivery to the nozzles and cone also can be regulated to produce desirable amounts of charcoal and mechanism is included to remove the same from the cone.

Abstract: A gas generating system utilizing cellulosic waste, such as sawdust and the like, of a low BTU rating, which is partially dried on the closed top of, and then fed to the bottom of a conical generator into which a limited air supply is delivered to the upper portion of the generator where a combustion zone occurs to sinter the material and form steam and wood gas (methane) which passes to and through a heat exchange coil in an after-cooler tank in which water is heated incident to cooling the gas which successively passes through several cyclone units which successively remove dust, ash, creosote and other condensates, a blower also being included to induce a low rate of suction in the system to insure movement of the gas through the system which finally preferably is passed through a scrubber to clean the gas product of any appreciable impurities and the scrubbing water is recirculated to absorb more impurities after being stratified to remove heavy condensates and other solids.

Abstract: A saw and chipping device to convert veneer peeler logs into pieces of lumber of dimensions to produce maximum useful products and minimum waste and comprising a pair of similar sets of saws and intervening chippers on a pair of parallel power driven arbors respectively above and below a path of travel for said logs and one arbor trailing the other a predetermined distance, said saws respectively sawing said logs in common planes from opposite sides to a depth slightly greater than half the diameter thereof to form complete cuts to form adjacent boards varying in diameter in accordance with the sections of the logs in which they occur, feed rollers power driven in directions to feed logs to said sets of saws and chippers, and auxiliary guide rollers downstream from said sets of saws and chippers provided with stepped circular surfaces above and below said path of travel, the diameters of said stepped surfaces increasing in diameter from the center toward the opposite ends of said rollers in accordance with th

Abstract: A woodworking machine to convert round logs to square or rectangular cants by initially cutting with initial chipping cutters pairs of adjacent grooves respectively in the opposite upper and lower surfaces of each log to form corners of said cant thereon and also form the side edges of four boards to be sawed from the log incident to forming the cant, and then delivering the log to a conveyor extending between the inlet and discharge ends of the machine and having support elements thereon complementary to the lower cant corner of said logs and additional series of guide elements above and coextensive with said conveyor which engage the upper corner of said cant on the log, whereby the log is securely and accurately held between said conveyor and guide elements during a single passage through the machine during which, downstream from the inlet end of the machine, additional chipping cutters form other pairs of grooves respectively in the opposite sides of said logs to define side corners of the cant and also r

Abstract: A double bay industrial saw having delivery mechanism to receive timber cants of substantial size selectively directed to either saw bay where a single source of power operates multiple saw systems respectively operable to produce different types of boards with different edge configurations simultaneously as selected and desired. The cantilever type of pairs of arbors at opposite sides of a central housing respectively support sets of cooperating saw blades on driven arbors separately driven and supported upon separate arbors, and chippers if required to form edge configurations are also mounted upon said arbors, whereby the saws produce finished cuts in the cants to form completed products at the delivery end of the machine. Various feed rollers and cooperating pressure rollers insure positive feeding of the cants to and through the sawing regions of the machine.

Abstract: An unscrambling apparatus for bars of material, including lumber which is unloaded in a bulk pile onto said unscrambler to be arranged for individual delivery from the discharge end of the apparatus comprising an elongated stationary frame having rails to receive said bulk at one end, an advancing frame operable sequentially to raise and advance said bars and including means to gradually arrange the bars in a limited row from the outer end of which control means are actuated for the outermost bar to be moved by flipping means to remove said outermost bar from the machine for transfer to further machines or operations.

Abstract: A lumber stacker comprising a vertical frame provided with a feed elevator on the front end of the frame which delivers short stacks of boards to a horizonal advancing conveyor on the upper portion of the frame and on which a layer of such stacks accumulates to a predetermined amount when a horizontal elevating frame raises to lift the accumulation of stacks from the advancing conveyor and places them on a horizontal projectable supporting plate which is moved past the rear of the frame and is lowered by downward movement of the elevating frame onto a supporting surface or top of a stack being formed, after which the supporting plate is retracted onto the elevating frame from beneath the accumulated layer of stacks and returns to the initial starting position.

Abstract: A woodworking machine capable of simultaneously making a number of cuts through stock material and shaping opposed edges simultaneously to form a plurality of pieces finished on all sides. The woodworking machine includes feeding means capable of feeding stock material into and through a cutting zone, first and second arbors disposed in the cutting zone to either side of the feed path of the stock material, each of the arbors being provided with a plurality of saws and shapers aligned with corresponding saws and shapers on the other arbor to saw individual pieces from the stock material and to shape opposed edges. The feed means is driven by a reversible variable speed hydraulic motor and is capable of feeding the stock through the cutting zone at varying speeds. An improved dust collection apparatus is also disclosed herein.