Abstract A piece of lumber is fed flat to the infeed end of a marking station, tilted on edge and driven endwise into the marking station where defects in the piece are detected and marked with a retroreflective material. The marked piece moves to a defectcutting station where it is driven endwise past a pair of defectcutting saws until a marked defect is sensed between the saws to stop movement of the piece and actuate the saws to remove the defective section. The clear piece downstream of the saws is measured and, if longer than a minimum length range, diverted to a cut-to-length saw station. If within the minimum length range, it is diverted to a ''''core block'''' sort. If shorter than the minimum range, it is diverted to junk. The piece upstream of the saws is measured and diverted in the same manner as the downstream piece except that upstream pieces longer than the minimum length range resume travel past the defect saws. Longlength sensors at the defect station determine if a piece contains any one of several specified defect-free long lengths and if so, set a stop downstream of the defect saws corresponding to the longest specified clear length sensed and then actuate only one of the defect saws to cut the piece to such length when the piece reaches the set stop. Such piece is then diverted directly to a sorting station. Random length clear pieces transferred to the cut-to-length station are pressed against a series of depressible stop-sensors determining various specified lengths, driven endwise over the stop-sensors past a length saw until one of the stop-sensors is released, then driven in reverse against the released stop. The length saw then strokes to cut the piece to specified length, after which the piece is sorted according to length as determined by the released stop-sensor.
An apparatus for cutting lumber to sPecified lengths comprising: length-cutting means defining a cutting plane, stop bar means extending normal to said cutting plane and including a series of programmable depressible stop and lengthsensing means spaced at predetermined distances from and on one side of said cutting plane corresponding to specified lengths of lumber to be cut, means for delivering a random length of lumber to a position extending along said stop bar means with one end of said piece adjacent said cutting plane. drive means for pressing said piece toward said stop bar means to depress one or more of said stop and sensing means and for driving said piece endwise in opposite directions along said stop bar means, and control means operable in response to the presence of said piece along said stop bar means first to operate said drive means in one direction to drive said random length toward said cutting plane until a depressed one of said stop and sensing means is released and then in response to such release to reverse said drive means to drive the opposite end of said random length against said released stop means and then to actuate said cutting means to cut said random-length piece to the longest specified length as sensed by said stop and sensing means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
218 words
An apparatus for cutting lumber to sPecified lengths comprising: length-cutting means defining a cutting plane, stop bar means extending normal to said cutting plane and including a series of programmable depressible stop and lengthsensing means spaced at predetermined distances from and on one side of said cutting plane corresponding to specified lengths of lumber to be cut, means for delivering a random length of lumber to a position extending along said stop bar means with one end of said piece adjacent said cutting plane. drive means for pressing said piece toward said stop bar means to depress one or more of said stop and sensing means and for driving said piece endwise in opposite directions along said stop bar means, and control means operable in response to the presence of said piece along said stop bar means first to operate said drive means in one direction to drive said random length toward said cutting plane until a depressed one of said stop and sensing means is released and then in response to such release to reverse said drive means to drive the opposite end of said random length against said released stop means and then to actuate said cutting means to cut said random-length piece to the longest specified length as sensed by said stop and sensing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 including drop gate means providing in its closed position a lumber-supporting surface extending normal to said cutting plane along said stop bar means, said control means being operable to open said gate means after the random length is cut to a specified length to discharge the resulting pieces from said apparatus.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 including a sorting area below said drop gate means including a series of sorting gates for diverting lumber according to length to a series of sorting stations, said series of sorting gates being operable by specified-length sensings from said stop and sensing means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 including short length-sensing means on the opposite side of said cutting plane from said stop and sensing means, and means operable following the cutting operation in response to sensings from said short length-sensing means for diverting pices on said opposite side of greater than a predetermined minimum length to a first collection point and for diverting pieces on said opposite side of less than said predetermined length to a second collection point.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
117 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said control means includes sensing means for sensing the presence of a piece of lumber adjacent said stop bar means positioned on said one side of said cutting plane and toward said cutting plane from the closest one of said stop and sensing means to said cutting plane, said control means being operable in response to a sensing from said piece-present sensor and the abscence of sensing from said stop and sensing means indicated the presence of a random-length piece shorter than the shortest specified length, to open said drop gate means and predetermined sorting gate means to divert said piece to a random-length sorting station without operating said cutting means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control means comprises a pneumatic-fluidic logic circuit and said stop and sensing means includes pneumatic sensing means operable to input pressure signals into said logic circuit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said stop and sensing means are adjustable at small increments along said stop bar means.