Apparatus for separating individual billets from bundles

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS OF CLASS DESCRIBED, SPACED PARALLEL RAILS FOR SUPPORTING THEREACROSS A BUNDLE OF BILLETTS TO BE SEPARATED, MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID RAILS LATERALLY RELATIVELY TO ONE ANOTHER WHEREBY TO ENABLE SAME TO ACCEPT BUNDLES OF BILLETS OF VARIOUS LENGTHS, TRANSFER MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENNT ONE OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SAID TRANSFER MEANS INCLUDING A MEMBER FORMED TO RECEIVE INDIVIDUALLY BILLETS FROM SAID BUNDLE, CAM MEANS PROJECTING AND RETRACTING SAID MEMBER RADIALLY TO RECEIVE A BILLET WHEN PROJECTED AND RELEASE SAME WHEN RETRACTED, MEANS PIVOTING SAID MEMBER IN TIMED RELATION TO THE RADIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TO ADVANCE THE INDIVIDUAL BILLET ALONG SAID RAILS, MEANS PIVOTING WITH SAID MEMBER AND ENGAGING SAID BILLET BEING ADVANCED TO PREVENT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREOF RELATIVELY TO SAID MEMBER, WIPING MEANS ADJACENT THE PATH OF SAID MEMBERS TO PREVENT MOVEMENT THEREWITH OF ADDITIONAL BILLETS, MEANS URGING SAID BUNDLE TOWARDS SAID TRANSFER MEANS, MEANS RECIPROCABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BILLET SUPPORT MEANS IN TIMED RELATION TO MOVEMENT OF SAID TRANSFER MEANS TO COMB A BILLET RECEIVED BY SAID TRANSFER MEANS OUT OF SAID BUNDLE, AND GATING MEANS ADJACENT THE OTHER OF SAID RAILS POSITIONED TO PREVENT WHIPPING OF SAID INDIVIDUAL BILLET AND OPERABLE IN TIMED RELATION TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID COMBING MEANS TO ALLOW SAID BILLET TO ADVANCE FROM THE BUNDLE AND TO OBSTRUCT ADVANCE OF SAID BUNDLE UPON REVERSE MOVEMENT OF SAID RECIPROCABLE MEANS.