Abstract: The invention is an infeed conveyor for a saw which enables feeding sweepy cants or logs in such a manner as to achieve a significant improvement in lumber recovery. The conveyor has at least one portion which can be configured between a straight line track and a curve which approximates an arc of a circle. The arc can be adjusted so that it approximates the sweep curvature of the log or cant which can then be guided into a saw along a path approximating it radius of curvature. The conveyor consists of a sharp chain having at least one portion running on a slide bar which can be configured to give the desired curvature. The conveyor can further be adjusted with regard to the following saw or saws to control offset. In its most preferred version a pair of chipper heads is located between the conveyor and saws to dress the upper and lower faces of an incoming cant into a gang cant of predetermined depth.

Abstract: A landscape timber building module is constructed preferably from a solid piece of wood with a predetermined length and width. At least two flat opposed, substantially parallel surfaces, have a plurality of uniformly spaced holes extending therethrough. Each end of the module is curved with a radius extending from approximately the centerline of the second hole inwardly from the end. The individual modules are then used, preferably after being treated with a preservative compound, as building elements to form composite landscaping structures. Individual modules are interconnected by the use of pin connectors inserted through aligned holes in the modules.

Abstract: The present invention comprises the combination of an elongated curved linebar with at least one saw. This arrangement enables "sawing-around-the-curve" so that increased recovery can be obtained from cants or logs having significant amounts of sweep. The linebar is positioned so that a tangent at the end adjacent to the saw is parallel to the plane of the saw. The linebar is preferably curved so that it approximates the average curvature of the cants or logs being fed to the saw. An auxilliary straight line bar, which is normally out of contact with an incoming cant, may alternatively be moved into position when the incoming cant is relatively straight sided.

Abstract: A crowding lug transfer conveyor system has an infeed and an outfeed end with a primary conveyor surface serving to a convey pieces therebetween. A plurality of lugs, each slideably mounted on a lug chain, are held at the infeed end and then released ahead of an incoming piece. An upstanding member on the lug is above the plane of the primary surface and the lug body is below the plane. A predetermined body length establishes the spacing and crowding distance at the outfeed end. Escapement mechanisms serve to release individual lugs on command both at the infeed and outfeed ends. At the outfeed end a plurality of lugs and pieces may be accumulated and spaced with the pieces then being metered in a singulated controlled manner. Caliper blocks in the lugs serve to grasp the lug chain when a lug is released with the lug chain continuously passing through the caliper blocks when the lug is being held in place awaiting release.

Abstract: The present invention is a linebar assembly for guiding a cant or log into a saw. It comprises a flexible linebar which can be bent from a straight-line configuration to one approximating a circular arc having a minimum radius of about 30 m. The linebar can be configured into a circular arc which approximates the curvature of a cant or a log having sweep as great as about 100 mm in 5 m of length. The cant is fed into the saw along a circular path to achieve significantly higher lumber recovery. Extended tests have shown that this recovery will be 20-30% greater than that obtained using conventional straight-line sawing methods without any reduction in grade recovery.

Abstract: A log sawing and transport system for relatively small logs has an infeed and loading station where logs are positioned in a centering device for aligning the logs with respect to the saws. Once the log is properly aligned for axial movement, a set of end dogs are actuated to hold the log in its prealigned position for transport. The dogs are mounted within axially movable carriage units that travel the length of the system serving to transport the log axially in a straight line. At the sawing station a plurality of angularly arranged saws are disposed to divide the traveling log into a plurality of elongated sector-shaped pieces. At least one selected saw may be adjustable with respect to the other saws in order to set angles for the sector-shaped pieces. Once the log has been divided into a plurality of sector-shaped pieces, an outfeed device collects the elongated sector-shaped pieces and transports them out of the system.

Abstract: A method of joining a pair of elongated triangular-shaped pieces together by clamping includes the steps of bringing a pair of opposed face platens together to a predetermined thickness which is the thickness of the ultimately desired composite pair. A sliding edge platen is forced against the pair at a pressure sufficient to cause the two triangular-shaped pieces to slide relative to each other against a fixed edge platen to adjust for width and in order to bring the outer side faces of the pair into a substantially parallel relationship. At the end of the curing cycle the pressure is released from the face platens and sliding edge platen allowing them to move apart to their retracted positions and the composite pair may then be removed from the clamping system. A multi-opening clamping system has a plurality of individual clamping mechanisms mounted about the periphery of a rotating cylindrical frame.

Abstract: An easily cleaned trigger-actuated gun of simplified construction for applying a multi-component resinous patching or adhesive compound system to a workpiece is described. An internal valve positioner, connected to the trigger mechanism by means of an operating rod, regulates flow of compound from the gun, between zero, intermediate or full flow rates in response to trigger position, by adjusting clearances between simple flow checking ball elements and their valve seats at each component inlet into the gun. The metered components flow through a static mixer tube, onto the workpiece.

Abstract: An edging system for machining the opposed rough edges of a workpiece into a parallelogram having the optimum angle of cut has an upstream sensing station to detect the maximum available width in order to remove the least amount of material. At the edging station a pair of laterally adjustable opposed cutter heads are mounted on a rotatable frame so as to have both the lateral distance between cutter heads and the angle the cutter heads make with respect to the top and bottom surfaces of the workpieces variable. Suitable conveying surfaces transport the workpiece into, through, and away from the edging station.

Abstract: A process and machine are disclosed that function to convey a pair of elongated sector shaped pieces where each piece has substantially the same smaller included angle. Upper and lower conveyancing channels are supported on a framework and have a common longitudinally extending adjustable support means whereby sector pairs of varying included smaller angles may be readily oriented and then conveyed. Suitable holding means are provided for constraining each sector piece in its conveyancing channel as they are conveyed longitudinally toward the outfeed end of the machine.