Abstract: A truss stacking system has a main conveyor for conveying trusses of a plurality of diverse designs out of a production facility and into a stack building yard or warehouse. The main conveyor is attended by a dedicated truss stacking station for each of the diverse designs, and which station includes a truss lift sub-station and a stack-forming sub-station. Each truss lift sub-station has at least a pair of traveling masts that each raises and lowers at least one bunk (eg., fork). The bunks are raised to lift a selected truss off the outflow conveyor, the masts are driven on an outbound journey to support the lifted bunk in the airspace above the stack-forming station, and then the bunks are lowered to rest the truss on the stack. Stop posts assist in stripping the truss off the bunks.

Abstract: A truss stacking system has a main conveyor for conveying trusses of a plurality of diverse designs out of a production facility and into a stack building yard or warehouse. The main conveyor is attended by a dedicated truss stacking station for each of the diverse designs, and which station includes a truss lift sub-station and a stack-forming sub-station. Each truss lift sub-station has at least a pair of traveling masts that each raises and lowers at least one bunk (eg., fork). The bunks are raised to lift a selected truss off the outflow conveyor, the masts are driven on an outbound journey to support the lifted bunk in the airspace above the stack-forming station, and then the bunks are lowered to rest the truss on the stack. Stop posts assist in stripping the truss off the bunks.

Abstract: A truss jigging system has an elongated table having a lower support deck supporting a plurality of spaced slot-defining C-shaped or T-shaped rails with infill panels filling spaces in between to define a truss-piece support. The table has a plurality of the carriages moving in the slots and moving locating pins or pucks that extend above the support plane to select positions. Linear drive systems drive the carriages to and fro. The locating pins (or pucks), the carriages and the drive systems therefor are all preferably located above the base plane of the lower support deck in order to accommodate a ‘X-Y scrolling vertical press style’ which has a heavy lower crossbeam that scrapes or skims laterally left and right closely underneath the lower support deck.

Abstract: A truss jigging system has an elongated table forming a support plane and formed with a plurality of parallel slots extending between the two long edges. The table has a plurality of the following: locating pins, carriages, endless belts, idler wheels, and, drive wheels. Each endless belt is strung around a respective one of the idler wheels and a respective one of the drive wheels to form a pair of elongated runs, one run being an elongated return run and the other run having a respective one of the carriages affixed thereto and coursing through a respective slot such that, driving the drive wheel moves the locating pin back and forth along the front to back axis of the respective slot.

Abstract: A hammer tacker has a strike, a tack-driving piston, a tack-feeding mechanism, and a handle for a user to cause a strike against a target. The piston cycles between drive and retraction strokes. The tack-feeding mechanism cycles between recession and feed strokes to feed the tack in a next-to-lead position to the lead position after the preceding tack in the lead position is struck into the target, and includes an escaping driver for engaging a pallet of the tack in the next-to-lead position during the feed stroke to feed that tack to the lead position, as well as for escaping the pallet of that tack during the recession stroke and then receding to engage the pallet of the tack that succeeds to the next-to-lead position, if any. Wherein as the piston's drive stroke coincides with the recession stroke, the feed stroke lags after a pause behind the piston's retraction stroke.

Abstract: A truss fabrication machine has processing circuitry for partially automating the fabrication of trusses. One or more workers place in jig stops on the tabletop a set of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates that get seated at the joints therebetween. The machine has a pressing head for seating the connector plates, which rides on a gantry above the tabletop in generally a Y-axis, wherein the gantry rides on a track generally along an X-axis. There are drivers to drive the gantry along the track and the pressing head along the gantry, as well an actuator for the pressing head. The processing circuitry is reliant on X- and Y-axis sensors for reckoning position on the tabletop. The processing circuitry is given control over the gantry, the pressing-head driver and actuator for coordinating movement of the gantry and pressing head between one given X and Y position to succeeding X and Y positions, and then actuating or not the actuating means.

Abstract: A truss fabricating machine includes a gantry movable along an X-axis and a pressing cylinder suspended from the gantry which is movable along the Y-axis allowing the pressing cylinder to be located above a joint in a wooden truss. The pressing cylinder presses down to seat connector plates into selected joints of the truss. A joystick generates electrical signals proportional to the direction and extent of movement of the joystick by the operator, which are converted to pulse width modulated electrical signals in a driver, whose output controls proportional solenoids that drive infinite positioning four-way hydraulic valves to actuate hydraulic motors that drive the gantry and pressing mechanism along either the X-axis, or through a separate hydraulic circuit, the Y-axis. The pressing cylinder can be moved along both axes simultaneously.