Continuous rotation log turner

A method for continuously turning a log includes the steps of:

• (a) providing a log turner for elevating, lowering and slewing a log perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis and for simultaneously rotating the log about its longitudinal axis while the log is translating in a flow direction from an upstream side of the log turner to a downstream side of the log turner, wherein the log turner comprises:
• (i) a mainframe having a movable frame translatably mounted thereon and adapted for vertical or horizontal translation relative to said mainframe;
• (ii) a rotating group mounted in said movable frame wherein said rotating group has a passageway therethrough and wherein said passageway is oriented substantially parallel with said infeed direction;
• (iii) a radially spaced apart array of roller arms pivotally mounted in radially spaced apart array around a perimeter of said rotating group wherein each roller arm of said array of roller arms has a log engaging roller rotatably mounted on the distal end of said each roller arm and wherein said each roller arm in said array of roller arms are simultaneously pivotable concentrically about the log and concentrically about an axis of rotation of said rotating group to engage and selectively disengage the log when passing through said passageway in the flow direction, and wherein said axis of rotation of said rotating group is substantially parallel to the flow direction, and wherein a synchronizer synchronizes pivoting of said roller arms in said array of roller arms to concentrically clamp the log relative to said rotating group to thereby rotate the log about its longitudinal axis simultaneously with selective rotation of said rotating group about said axis of rotation;
• (iv) a selectively engagable drive cooperating with said rotating group for said selective rotation of said rotating group;
• (v) at least one actuator cooperating with said movable frame to selectively simultaneously translate horizontally and vertically said movable frame relative to said mainframe whereby the log is correspondingly slewed horizontally and elevated or lowered vertically while translating longitudinally substantially in the flow direction through said passageway,
• (b) translating said movable frame so as to position said passageway to substantially align with an incoming leading end of an incoming log,
• (c) closing said array of roller arms around said leading end once in said passageway so as to hold said incoming log in said log engaging rollers fixed relative to said rotating group,
• (d) simultaneously rotating said rotating group and driving said log engaging rollers to, respectively rotate the incoming log to an optimized orientation substantially about the incoming log's longitudinal axis and translate the incoming log downstream,
• (e) simultaneously elevate and slew said movable frame to position the leading end of the incoming log for smooth transition to an out-feed from said log turner and into an infeed of a next downstream machine center.