Integrated tree processing mill
AssigneeReed Ltd.
InventorsRudy Vit, Igor Fridrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and apparatus are described wherein an integrated saw mill includes conveyor means for feeding debarked logs, classifying the logs and storing them according to size, advancing a particular log, scanning and analyzing the log and determining its cut pattern, squaring off the log by chipping heads, collectively cutting the log in line in accordance with the predetermined cut pattern, simultaneously advancing on separate conveyor means each piece of lumber so produced, sorting and storing each piece of lumber in accordance with its size, and further discharging the lumber onto a sticker-stacker for transferring stacks to drying kilns.
Claims5
A method of producing wood products from trees, including the steps of delimbing and debarking the trees, advancing the so-formed logs past a scanning station, scanning the logs to determine the respective diameter of the logs, passing the trees past a plurality of storage banks along a path, diverting the logs from the path into the respective storage banks classified according to its respective diameter, selectively withdrawing logs from the log storage banks, predetermining a longitudinal cutting pattern for the respective logs, squaring off the logs by means of chipping heads, advancing the squared off logs through a sawing station including saws, whereby the saws and chipping heads have been adjusted according to the predetermined cutting pattern for forming the logs into wood products, advancing the wood products so formed simultaneously in separate paths, edging the boards so formed where necessary, diverting the wood products so formed in separate wood products storage banks according to respective size of the wood product formed.
Apparatus for sawing logs into lumber products, including means for retrieving a log from a log storage bank and advancing the log along an in-line conveyor, means for scanning said log, input data receiving means for interpreting the data received from the scanning means and determining a sawing pattern, a plurality of chipper and sawing means for squaring off a log and for cutting the squared-off log in accordance with the sawing pattern, said chipper and sawing means being in line along the path of the advancing logs, said data receiving means including means for controlling the positioning of the chippers and sawing means according to the sawing pattern, transfer means at each sawing station for removing the sawed-off finished board or lumber product from the in-line advance of the remaining logs, said transfer means including conveyor means for advancing each wood product on either side of the sawing station, means for picking each product on the transfer means and centering it on an in-line conveyor and a board edge chipper, longitudinally extending parallel conveyor means associated with each board edge chipper for advancing the finished wood product towards a storage system, and apparatus for storing wood pieces, such as debarked logs or finished lumber, including means for advancing the wood pieces along a predetermined longitudinal path, a plurality of laterally extending storage banks adjacent the longitudinal paths, means for scanning the wood pieces to determine the respective size of the wood pieces, and means associated with said paths for diverting wood pieces from the paths into the storage banks according to data received from said scanning means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.