Lumber trimmer

Abstract

A lumber trimming device for trimming elongate workpieces conveyed on an infeed conveyor in a laterally disposed orientation relative to an infeed direction. The lumber trimming device includes a gang of laterally spaced apart drop saws wherein the drop saws are independently actuable according to generally optimized trimming instructions from an optimizer. At least one end-trimming saw is mounted adjacent the gang. The end-trimming saw or saws is or are selectively laterally translatable according to optimized end-trimming instructions from the optimizer so as to cooperate with the gang. The end-trimming saw or saws cooperate with the optimizer and the drop saws so that a first drop saw of the drop saws is actuated simultaneously with optimized lateral positioning of a first end-trimming saw so as to trim a first workpiece of the workpieces on the infeed conveyor simultaneously by both the first drop saw in a first trim cut and the first end-trimming saw in a second trim cut. Where a second end-trimming saw is employed, the first end-trimming saw cooperates with the optimizer to laterally re-position the first end-trimming saw subsequent to the second trim cut simultaneously with the second end-trimming saw actively laterally pre-positioning for an end trim cut on a second and next-adjacent workpiece on the infeed conveyor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.