Abstract: A method and apparatus for parallelly aligning pieces of timber, such as logs and billets, for further handling, comprises the serial feeding of pieces of timber into a sorting zone provided with a fast-rotating drum surface which pushes the timber towards, and aligns the timber with, a more slowly rotating drum surface provided with engagement members. The pieces of timber are aligned on and between the respective drum surfaces so as to be parallel and at right angles to the direction of rotation of said surfaces. The pieces of timber are pushed off in parallelly aligned orientation from the more slowly rotating surface for further handling.

Abstract: Apparatus for dividing a supply of pieces of wood into portions has an aperture for receiving the wood pieces, pivotable grippers for retaining the wood pieces from falling through the aperture, a support which is movable downwardly relative to the aperture to allow a plurality of the wood pieces to descend therewith, the plurality of wood pieces constituting one of the portions, and hydraulic pistons and cylinders for operating the grippers after the downward movement of the support, to retain subsequent wood pieces from falling through the aperture, whereby the remainder of the wood pieces can be temporarily retained from descending with the support.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating bark, such as birchbark, from timber during conveyance of the timber has a conveyor for advancing logs leaving a stripping drum. To achieve an effective separation of bark, rollers conveying the logs form a bark separating unit, where successive ones of the rollers are arranged at two levels, the rollers at the upper level being provided with spikes for scraping or detaching the bark, and the rollers on the lower level being substantially smooth-surfaced.

Abstract: A procedure for affixing bearing hoops on the outer surface of a barking drum or an equivalent large diameter drum, the bearing hoops resting on carrier wheels thereunder, by the aid of which the drum is rotated. In this procedure, a drum with an open longitudinal joint gap, the bearing hoops and the carrier wheels are properly placed in mutual register. The invention teaches to proceed in the manner that hollow bearing hoops are used through which a heating fluid, such as hot water, is arranged to flow, that the inner surface of the drum is cooled with a cooling fluid such as cold water, that the drum is loaded mechanically in a direction such as to dilate the longitudinal joint gap, that is, so that the drum is urged against the inner surface of the bearing hoop, that the drum is secured in this position by the aid of wedges pushed into the longitudinal joint, that into the open longitudinal joint of the drum inserts are welded, and that the bearing hoops are then allowed to cool.