Wooden truss manufacturing system including multiple printers and method

A method of printing identifying information on components of wooden trusses and printing information identifying assembled wooden trusses, each of said wooden trusses including at least first and second chords and a plurality of web members for extending between the at least first and second chords, each of the at least first and second chords and each of the plurality of web members having a pair of opposing faces and a pair of opposing edges, the pair of opposing faces each having a first width, the pair of opposing edges each having a second width, wherein the first width is greater than the second width, the method comprising:

• a) providing a control computer having a processor and a memory for storing a control program, the control computer including an input interface for receiving a batch list selected by an operator, the batch list identifying each chord and each web member included in each of the plurality of wooden trusses, the control computer generating a plurality of control signals;
• b) providing a first conveyor for transporting wooden members therealong;
• c) providing at least one infeed chute in which wooden members are stored;
• d) transferring wooden members from the at least one infeed chute to the first conveyor in response to control signals received from the control computer;
• e) providing a finger-jointer having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the finger jointer receiving wooden members transported by the first conveyor, the finger-jointer serving to join wooden members received thereby end-to-end, the finger-jointer discharging a continuous length of joined wood at its outlet;
• f) conveying the continuous length of joined wood discharged from the outlet of the finger-jointer to at least one saw, and cutting joined wood discharged from the outlet of the finger-jointer into lengths of cut wooden members in response to control signals received from the control computer;
• g) transporting cut wooden members along a second conveyor;
• h) providing a face printer disposed along the second conveyor for printing identifying component information upon one of the faces of each cut wooden member in response to control signals received from the control computer, the identifying component information indicating a particular component within a wooden truss structure;
• and
• i) providing an edge printer disposed along the second conveyor for printing identifying assembled truss information upon an outward facing edge of one of the at least first and second chords in response to control signals received from the control computer, the identifying assembled truss information indicating a particular assembled wooden truss.