Machine for the automatic stacking of boards and other timber

Claim 1

A machine for automatically stacking boards, timber and other elongated articles comprising: conveyor means for advancing articles disposed thereon to a table with their longer dimension transverse to the direction of conveyor movement; said table including a support for collecting said articles into successive layers, each layer being composed of a number of adjacent articles; a displacement mechanism mounted along the table for displacing each successive layer of articles from said table to a stacking station, said displacement mechanism comprising at least one supporting arm adapted to move successive layers of articles to the stacking station as units and a carriage displaceable along said table provided with a linkage connected at one end to said arm and at its other end to a chain for lifting said arm together with a layer of articles resting on the arm during the movement of the arm to said stacking station, lowering the arm on the upper layer in the stacking station, depositing a layer of articles at the stacking station and returning the arm in its lowered position to support the next layer of articles, said chain running around two chain wheels, one wheel being mounted at each end of the table, said carriage being connected to said chain by means of a bolt arranged to move said carriage along said table as the bolt travels with the chain along the table and around said chain wheels, and said linkage including a link pivotally connected to said carriage by means of a bolt, said link having one end connected to said chain, a vertical linking member pivotally connected to the other end of said link, and a toggle link rotatably secured to a pin mounted on said carriage and pivotally connected at one end to said vertical linking member, the other end of said toggle link being pivotally connected to said arm; a feeler member mounted adjacent the table and adapted to cooperate with each layer in its collected condition; impulse means operable by said feeler member for actuating said displacement mechanism when the collection of a layer is completed to displace each successive layer as a unit and to deposit it upon a previously deposited layer in said stacking station.