Green-wood fibrating means and method

Claim 1

In a device, for forming small splinter-like strands of wood of relatively uniform lengths and diameters and having the axes thereof substantially parallel along the grain of wood pieces from which said strands are formed, said strands formed from solid forms of low-quality wood selected from the group consisting of round logs, semi-round logs, square edge cants, thick flitches and mixtures thereof, and said strand eminently suitable for use in forming and molding lumber products including structural members having strength characteristics equal or superior to commercially available wood members; a frame, said frame being generally L-shaped in a horizontal plane and having later mentioned (a) roller means about the longer portion of said L-shaped frame (b) scrubber means about the shorter portion of said L-shaped frame and (c) transfer table means mounted about the corner portion of said L-shaped frame, a first and second series of bottom rolls rigidly supported on said L-shaped frame juxtaposed the longer portion thereof for rotation thereon in a plane substantially parallel with the long axes of said frame, braking means operably engaging said first and second series of bottom rolls for restraining the peripheral speed thereof, a first and second series of top rolls mounted on said L-shaped frame with the axes thereof parallel to the axes of said first and second series of bottom rolls and each roll in said first and second series of top rolls being in vertical alignment with its corresponding and companion bottom roll, means operably engaging each roll in said first and second series of top rolls for imparting thereto rotational movement about its axis at a predetermined peripheral speed, means operably engaging each roll in said first and second series of top rolls for imparting thereto vertical reciprocating movement, said means for imparting both said rotational and said reciprocating vertical movement to each roll in said first and second series of top rolls, being operably independent, said means for imparting rotational movement to each roll in said first and second series of top rolls adapted to impart thereto a peripheral speed greater than the peripheral speed of the companion bottom roll aligned vertically therebeneath, said top rolls in said first series having the cylindrical portions of their peripheral surfaces in the form of screw threads, said screw threads being left handed from about the horizontal midpoint of said rolls and extending to the right hand horizontal terminus thereof and said screw threads being right handed from about the horizontal midpoint of said rolls to the left hand terminus thereof when viewed along the axis of the long portion of said L-shaped frame from a direction from said first series of top rolls to said second series of top rolls; transfer means mounted on said L-shaped frame ahead of said first series of companion bottom and top rolls for introducing and carrying into said rolls said solid wood forms; transfer means disposed between each roll in both said first and said second series of said bottom rolls for effecting mechanical transfer of the wood mat resulting from passage thereover, transfer means disposed beyond said second series of companion top and bottom rolls for effecting movement of the resulting wood mat onto said transfer table means; drive means in association with said transfer table means for changing the direction of travel of said wood mat entering thereupon to substantially 90* from its original direction of travel to a direction of travel substantially parallel with and in a direction along the shorter portion of said L-shaped frame while maintaining thE alignment of the individual splinters in said wood mat in a direction parallel with the axis of the long portion of said L-shaped frame, wood splinter scrubber means juxtaposed said transfer table means mounted on said L-shaped frame and disposed along the short portion thereof, said scrubber means having a fixed lower platen and a moveable upper platen the top surface of said lower platen and the bottom surface of said upper platen being serrated with the grooves from said serrations being substantially parallel to the long axis portion of said L-shaped frame member, said serrations on the surfaces of both said lower and said upper platen being in the form of teeth-like members, the direction of bite thereof being in a direction away from the corner of said Lshaped frame and toward the terminus of the short portion thereof, and drive means operably engaged said movable top platen for imparting thereto in the vertical plane an egg-shaped eliptical orbit with the larger of the two minor radii of said egg-shaped eliptical orbit disposed toward the corner portion of said L-shaped frame member.