Apparatus for laying up plywood panels

Claim 2

Apparatus for laying up plywood panels comprising a plurality of vertically spaced, elongated conveyors having an adjacent set of discharge ends, operable to convey veneer sheets therealong toward said discharge ends of the conveyors, a lay-up table disposed below said discharge ends of the conveyors, lowering means, including a plurality of vertically shiftable veneer-support flights, disposed above said table and adjacent the discharge ends of said conveyors adapted to receive veneer sheets discharged from said conveyors with such sheets disposed on said flights in vertically spaced relation in the relative positions they are to have in an assembled panel, and operable to lower such sheets successively onto said table, and core sheet supply means operable to intersperse core sheets between selected pairs of veneer sheets lowered to said table.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said veneer-support flights of the lowering means are spaced apart vertically a distance substantially equal to the vertical spacing between the discharge ends of said conveyors, and which further comprises drive means connected to said flights, operable intermittently to position selected ones of said flights substantially in register with said discharge ends of the conveyors.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said lowering means comprises a pair of chains having substantially parallel, opposed upright reaches disposed on opposite sides of said conveyors, and said flights include a plurality of support arms mounted on said reaches with the arms on one reach projecting toward the arms on the other reach, and which further comprises drive means operatively connected to said chains for producing synchronized vertical movement of said reaches with the arms on one reach in horizontal alignment with mating arms on the other reach.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a support arm has a sheet-engaging portion thereon adapted to engage the underside of a veneer sheet in a region spaced inwardly on the sheet from an edge of the sheet, and which further comprises a hold down member mounted on said reach of chain projecting outwardly therefrom above a support arm.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a hold down member has a sheet-engaging portion disposed intermediate the sheet-engaging portion of its associated support arm and the chain.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a conveyor includes charging means at its discharge end operable to receive and hold a veneer sheet, and actuatable intermittently to discharge such veneer sheets onto said lowerinG means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a charging means comprises a power-driven veneer support belt having an elongated upper reach occupying a substantially horizontal plane, and a power-driven bearing belt having an elongated, lower reach overlying said upper reach of the support belt, said veneer support belts and bearing belts being adapted to be driven at substantially common speeds.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6, which further comprises aligning means associated with a conveyor, including fence structure in a region upstream on the conveyor from its said charging means shiftable selectively between an operative position extending into the path along which a veneer sheet may be carried on the conveyor, and an inoperative position where said path is cleared.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises aligning means associated with each of said conveyors operable to align a veneer sheet carried therealong in a predetermined orientation relative to said conveyor prior to discharging the same onto said lowering means.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said aligning means comprises fence structure shiftable selectively between an operative position extending into the path along which a veneer sheet may be carried on the conveyor, and an inoperative position where said path is cleared.

Claim 12

Apparatus for laying up plywood panels comprising a plurality of vertically spaced, elongated conveyors having an adjacent set of discharge ends, operable to convey veneer sheets individually and in succession therealong toward said discharge ends, each conveyor including charging means at its discharge end, each charging means being operable to receive and hold a veneer sheet therein until a predetermined number of the others of said charging means have been filled, and the charging means of several conveyors being actuatable to discharge such veneer sheets simultaneously therefrom, a lay-up table disposed below said discharge ends of the conveyors, lowering means disposed above said table and adjacent the discharge ends of said conveyors including a plurality of vertically shiftable veneer-support flights spaced apart vertically a distance substantially equal to the vertical spacing between said charging means, said flights being adapted to receive veneer sheets discharged from said charging means with such sheets disposed on the flights in vertically spaced relation in the relative positions they are to have in an assembled panel, drive means connected to said flights operable intermittently to position said flights substantially in registery with said charging devices to receive veneer sheets therefrom and thereafter to lower the same toward said lay-up table, and core sheet supply means operable to intersperse core sheets between selected pairs of veneer sheets lowered to said table.

Claim 13

Apparatus for laying up plywood panels comprising a plurality of vertically spaced, elongated conveyors having an adjacent set of discharge ends, operable to convey veneer sheets individually and in succession therealong toward said discharge ends, each conveyor including charging means at its discharge end, each charging means being operable to receive and hold a veneer sheet therein until a predetermined number of the others of said charging means have been filled, and the charging means of several conveyors being actuatable to discharge such veneer sheets simultaneously therefrom, a lay-up table disposed below said discharge ends of the conveyors, lowering means disposed above said table and adjacent the discharge ends of said conveyors including a plurality of vertically shiftable veneer-support flights spaced apart vertically a distance substantially equal to the vertical spacing between said charging means, said flights being adapted to receive veneer sheets discharged from said charging means with such sheets disposed on the flights in vertically spaced relation in the relative positions they are to have in an assembled panel, drive means connected to said flights operable intermittently to position said flights substantially in registery with said charging devices to receive veneer sheets therefrom and thereafter to lower the same toward said lay-up table, and core sheet supply means operable to intersperse core sheets between selected pairs of veneer sheets lowered to said table.