Sawmill work feeding and product handling apparatus

A sawmill of the type having a frame with a saw means for cutting slabs and boards from a log as it is reciprocated along a linear path, the log being suspended by dogs, wherein the improvement comprises:

• (a) a pair of opposed parallel main rails disposed in a common horizontal plane and carried by said frame;
• (b) a central monorail disposed parallel to and carried by said frame above and between said main rails;
• (c) a main carriage having a main plate and wheels mounted for rotation on said plate, said wheels riding on said rails for supporting said main carriage for reciprocal movement longitudinally along said frame and for preventing appreciable pivoting or tilting of said plate;
• (d) an auxiliary carriage having an auxiliary plate and a pair of wheels rotatably mounted for rotation on said plate and riding respectively on said rails for supporting an end portion of said auxiliary plate for movement longitudinally along said frame, said auxiliary carriage being rearwardly of said main carriage in said frame;
• said auxiliary carriage also having roller means supported by and riding on said monorail and spaced in a longitudinal direction from said pair of wheels for supporting another portion of said auxiliary plate;
• said wheels and said roller means preventing appreciable pivoting or tilting of said auxiliary plate;
• (e) a pair of struts extending downwardly respectively from said main plate and said auxiliary plate for respectively supporting said dogs;
• (f) control means connected between said main carriage and said auxiliary carriage for progressively altering the position of such carriages with respect to each other for moving said dogs into and out of clamping positions with respect to the ends of a log position between said dogs;
• and
• (g) drive means for driving one of the carriages with respect to said frame whereby said dogs move said log in a linear path past said saw means for cutting action of said saw means.