US 4,320,570 AGranted

Apparatus for disassembling wooden pallets

AssigneeWilliams Panel Board Company

InventorLonnie M. Williams

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Abstract

Apparatus for the disassembly of wooden pallets or the like is disclosed. Generally, a pallet comprises a nailed together wood structure having a plurality of parallel, spaced stringers and a plurality of slats nailed to the top and bottom faces of the stringers and extending generally transversely thereof. The apparatus of this invention comprises a frame, a table mounted on the frame for receiving a pallet to be disassembled, and a plurality of cutters, one for a respective stringer, for cutting the nails holding the slats to a respective stringer. The table with the pallet thereon is movable from a retracted position in which the pallet is clear of the nail cutters to an operative position. A pallet clamp is provided on the table for holding the pallet in position with its stringers extending parallel to the direction of movement of the table. The nail cutters are adjustably movable in transverse direction so that at least certain of the nail cutters may be aligned with respective stringers.

Claims42

Dependent claims

In apparatus for unnailing wood structures, said apparatus including a frame, nail cutting means, an elongate support for said nail cutting means mounted at one end of said frame, a support for a pallet, means for causing relative movement of said pallet and said nail cutting means to effect cutting of the nails by the relative movement between the pallet and the nail butting means, said nail cutter support comprising a pair of side-by-side horizontal cantilever arms, and nail cutting means comprising a pair of rotary circular blades carried by said arms, one blade on each arm, wherein the improvement comprises:

means for journalling said each of said circular blades on its respective arm comprising a stud secured to said arm, and anti-friction bearing having an inner race and an outer race, said inner race being adapted to receive said stud, an outer mounting member surrounding said stud and having a bore therein for reception of said outer race of said bearing, said blade being secured to said mounting member whereby said blade is free to rotate about said stud and is securely held in position on said stud, said bearing means further comprising means for adjusting the side-to-side position of said pair of blades relative to one another and for selectively locking each of said blades in any desired position relative to one another and relative to its respective support arms, this last-said means comprising a mounting plate carrying one of said blades, a pivot connection between said mounting plate in its respective arm, a pin and slot connection between said mounting plate and its respective arm so as to permit adjustable pivoting movement about said pilot connection of said mounting plate relative to its said arm, and an eccentric cam between said mounting plate and said arm for adjustably moving said mounting plate relative to said arm within a selected range of pivotal positions whereby with said pin and slot and said pivot connections being tightened and with said cam engaging said mounting plate and arm, the mounting is held against movement relative to its respective arm.

Apparatus for disassembling wood pallets or the like, said pallets comprising a nailed together wood structure having a plurality of spaced stringers and a plurality of slats nailed to the stringers and extending transversely thereof, said apparatus comprising:

a frame;
means mounted on said frame for reciving a pallet to be disassembled;
a plurality of nail cutting means, one for a respective stringer, said nail cutting means being adapted to cut the nails holding the slats to a respective stringer;
means for effecting relative movement of said pallet receiving means with said pallet thereon and said nail cutting means;
means for holding said pallet on said pallet receiving means in position with its stringers extending parallel to the direction of movement of said pallet receiving means;
and
means for adjustably moving in transverse direction at least some of said nail cutting means so as to align certain of said nail cutting means with a respective stringer of said pallet, each of said nail cutting means being supported on an elongate, cantilever support, and each of said adjustably movable nail cutting means including means for self-centering said adjustably movable nail cutting means relative to its respective stringer upon effecting cutting of said nails.

4 more elements

Apparatus for disassembling nailed together wood structures, such as wood pallets or the like, said wood structures having a plurality of generally parallel stringers extending longitudinally of the wood structure and being spaced from one another, and a plurality of slats extending transversely of the stringers and being nailed to the outer faces thereof, said apparatus comprising:

a frame;
means for receiving a wood structure to be disassembled, said means being movable relative to said frame between a loading position in which a wood structure may be placed thereon and an operative position in which the nails holding the slats of the wood of the stringers are to be cut;
a plurality of nail cutting means operable when said means with a wood structure thereon is in its operative position so as to cut the nails holding the slats to a stringer adjacent the cutting means;
and means for adjustably moving at least certain of said nail cutting means transversely relative to the pallet positioned on said means so as to align said certain nail cutting means with their respective stringers, said adjustably movable nail cutting means each including means for self-centering the latter relative to its respective stringer upon effecting cutting of the nails holding said slats to its respective stringer.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.