Automated apparatus for joining wood plates in side-by-side relation

In an automated apparatus for joining a set of a plurality of wooden plates with adjoining surfaces in a side-by-side relation, including:

• conveyor means for transporting said wooden plates in sequence to a given position;
• joining means at said given position for receiving thereon said plurality of wooden plates thus transported one-by-one by said conveyor means, said joining means including:
• nail driving means including a nail driver which is reciprocable over a given distance in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of sealing-material feeding means which are movable upwards and downwards relative to said wooden plates and which are further movable in a direction substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• platen means, on which adjacent wooden plates are supported in substantially parallel abutting relation;
• a hold-down plate positioned above said platen means and being movable upwards and downwards relative to said platen means to hold said wooden plates fast or release same;
• wooden plate holding means which is movable back and forth in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined to hold and retain at least one wooden plate in a fixed position when said nail driving means is operated to join said wooden plates;
• and
• means for removing joined wooden plates from said platen means after operation of said nail driving means to clear said wooden plates from said platen means;
• the improvement wherein said pair of sealing-material feeding means comprises:
• a pair of chucks for carrying sealing material, said chucks being disposed at opposite sides of the apparatus and opposing each other along a line substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of arms, each having one of said chucks mounted thereon, each arm being movably mounted on said opposite sides of the apparatus and being movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a piston and actuating cylinder means coupled to said chucks for raising and lowering said chucks into and out of registration with said surfaces of said wooden plates to be joined to interpose sealing material between said joining surfaces of two wooden plates which are to be joined by said nailing means before nailing together said two plates;
• and
• spring means coupled to said arms for biasing said arms so as to permit resilient movement of said arms in said direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined.

Apparatus for joining a set of a plurality of wooden plates with adjoining surfaces in a side-by-side relation, comprising:

• joining means including a platen for receiving thereon at least two wooden plates to be joined at substantially parallel surfaces thereof;
• nail driving means at said joining means and including a nail driver which is reciprocable over a given distance in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• means for holding down a wooden plate at said platen during joining of a pair of wooden plates;
• said nail driving means including:
• a hopper containing a plurality of nails which are aligned substantially in a given direction, said hopper having a bottom opening for passing said nails out of said hopper;
• a sliding plate having a given number of slits which are adapted to admit nails therethrough and spaced given distances apart, said sliding plate being disposed under but in contact with said bottom opening of said hopper and slidably movable relative to said hopper between at least a first position and a second position;
• and
• nail guide means located below said sliding plate, between the platen and said nail driver means, said nail guide means having nail guide channels therein, a first plurality of said nail guide channels being brought in registration with a first given number of said slits of said sliding plate for receiving nails in said first plurality of channels thereof which are in registration with said first given number of slits when said sliding plate is in said first position, and a second plurality of nail guide channels being brought into registration with a second given number of said slits of said sliding plate for receiving nails in said second plurality of channels thereof when said sliding plate is in said second position, said nail driver driving the nails in said channels into a wooden plate to be joined.

Apparatus for joining a set of a plurality of wooden plates with adjoining surfaces in a side-by-side relation, comprising:

• joining means including a platen for receiving thereon at least two wooden plates to be joined at substantially parallel surfaces thereof;
• nail driving means at said joining means and including a nail driver which is reciprocable over a given distance in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of sealing-material feeding means which are movable upwards and downwards relative to said wooden plates and which are further movable in a direction substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• and
• means for holding down a wooden plate at said platen during joining of a pair of wooden plates;
• said sealing-material feeding means including;
• a pair of chucks for carrying sealing material, said chucks being disposed spaced apart at the apparatus and opposing each other along a line substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of arms, each having one of said chucks mounted thereon, said arms being movably mounted on said opposite sides of the apparatus and being movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a piston and actuating cylinder means coupled to said chucks for raising and lowering said chucks into and out of registration with said surfaces of said wooden plates to be joined to interpose sealing material between said joining surfaces of two wooden plates which are to be joined by said nailing means before nailing together said two plates;
• and
• spring means biasing said arms so as to permit resilient movement of said arms in said direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined.

In an automated apparatus for joining a set of a plurality of wooden plates with adjoining surfaces in a side-by-side relation, including:

• conveyor means for transporting said wooden plates in sequence to a given position;
• joining means at said given position for receiving thereon said plurality of wooden plates thus transported one-by-one by said conveyor means, said joining means including:
• nail driving means including a nail driver which is reciprocable over a given instance in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of sealing-material feeding means which are movable upwards and downwards relative to said wooden plates and which are further movable in a direction substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• platen means, on which adjacent wooden plates are supported in substantially parallel abutting relation;
• a hold-down plate positioned above said platen means and being movable upwards and downwards relative to said platen means to hold said wooden plates fast or release same;
• wooden plate holding means which is movable back and forth in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined to hold and retain at least one wooden plate in a fixed position when said nail driving means is operated to join said wooden plates;
• and
• means for removing joined wooden plates from said platen means after operation of said nail driving means to clear said wooden plates from said platen means;
• the improvement wherein said pair of sealing-material feeding means comprises:
• a pair of chucks for carrying sealing material, said chucks being disposed at opposite sides of the apparatus and opposing each other along a line substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a pair of arms, each having one of said chucks mounted thereon, each arm being movably mounted on said opposite sides of the apparatus and being movable in a direction substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined;
• a piston and actuating cylinder means coupled to said chucks for raising and lowering said chucks into and out of registration with said surfaces of said wooden plates to be joined to interpose sealing material between said joining surfaces of two wooden plates which are to be joined by said nailing means before nailing together said two plates;
• and
• spring means biasing said arms so as to permit resilient movement of said arms in said direction substantially parallel to the surfaces of said wooden plates which are to be joined, thereby creating a force to pull on said sealing material to stretch same when the adjoining wooden plates are joined with said sealing material interposed therebetween.