Method of and apparatus for applying pronged sheet metal spring anchoring clips to furniture rails

In an apparatus for applying pronged anchoring clips to the edge regions of successive elongated wooden furniture rails at predetermined spaced distances therealong, in combination, a a rail-supporting table establishing a rail loading station and a clip-applying station, a clip-applying tool at said latter station effective to cause prong embedment of the clips into the rails, a conveyor effective when driven to conduct successive rails endwise along the table from the loading station to and through the clip-applying station, normally operative power actuated means for driving the conveyor, means establishing a source of clips, a clip-feeding device in the vicinity of said tool and effective when actuated to feed clip, one at a time, from the source to the tool to drive the clip prongs into the rails, a sensing device fixedly positioned along said path and effective to sense the leading edges of successive rails, an impulse-emitting device effective when actuated to emit electrical impulses in timed relation to the rate of travel of the rails along said path, means effective upon movement of the conveyor, and consequently of the rails, for actuating said impulse-emitting device and means repeatedly effective upon emission of predetermined cumulative numbers of impulses incident to sensing the leading edge of each rail for disabling said conveyor driving means to establish sequential periods of conveyor dwell and, at each dwell period, to actuate both the clip-applying tool and the clip-feeding device, whereby the clips are applied to the successive rails at predetermined spaced distances therealong.