Method and apparatus for forming a lumber stack and placing sticks between adjacent courses in the stack

Apparatus for forming a lumber stack by laying successive lumber courses and providing sticks between adjacent courses comprising:

• conveying means operable for transferring a course to be stacked to a first station;
• dividing means disposed adjacent said conveying means operable for selectively isolating a course from upstream lumber at said first station;
• positioning means disposed adjacent said conveying means operable for selectively elevating the isolated course as a unit occupying a substantially horizontal plane and shifting it into position above a stacking station prior to lowering the course onto the stacking station, said positioning means including carriage means provided with elevating means, said carriage means being shiftable from a pre-spot position adjacent said first station with an elevated course to a position whereby the course is located above said stacking station, said elevating means being operable for lowering the course at said stacking station after which said carriage means is returnable to the pre-spot position;
• placing means disposed adjacent said stacking station operable for selectively depositing sticks generally transversely to the lengthwise dimension of the course at laterally-spaced locations;
• and
• separating means disposed adjacent said stacking station operable for selective extension to a position beneath the course elevated at said stacking station for holding at least some of the pieces of the course after said elevating means has been lowered, said separating means also being operable for selective retraction in a direction opposite to the return of said carriage means for separating at least some of the pieces of lumber from the remainder of the course during retraction of said separating means.

Apparatus for forming a lumber stack by laying successive lumber courses and providing sticks between adjacent courses comprising:

• conveying means operable for transferring a course to be stacked to a first station;
• positioning means disposed adjacent said conveying means operable for selectively elevating the course as a unit occupying a substantially horizontal plane and shifting it into position above a stacking station;
• placing means disposed above said stacking station operable for selectively depositing sticks generally transversely to the lengthwise dimension of the course at laterally-spaced locations thereon, said placing means including driven rotary feed means operable for periodically receiving sticks and directing them through a predetermined angular displacement and periodically releasing them onto successive courses, said rotary feed means including a plurality of rotatable wheel sets disposed above said stacking station adjacent said laterally-spaced locations, each wheel set being disposed beneath a stick receiving bin and including a pair of opposed, spaced-apart concentrically mounted wheels operable for movement about an axis of rotation, each wheel being provided with a plurality of recesses formed adjacent the outer periphery thereof aligned with corresponding recesses on an associated opposed wheel, said recesses being successively and periodically positionable, upon rotation of said wheels, for registry beneath an associated bin for receiving a stick with the stick's longitudinal axis being generally positioned parallel to the axis of rotation, the stick being suitably retained in opposed recesses until completion of the predetermined angular displacement whereupon the stick is released onto the course with a predetermined side of the stick facing the course substantially vertically beneath an associated bin;
• and
• detaining means positioned adjacent one wheel of each wheel set selectively operable for rectilinear shifting in a first direction for positioning beneath one end of a released stick so as to momentarily hold same and maintain it above the course, said detaining means also being selectively operable for rectilinear shifting in a second, reverse direction to release the stick so that it may be deposited onto a course.