Gravity chuting conveyor

A gravity chuting system having a plurality of successively connected track sections including at least a downwardly inclined straight track section and a downwardly inclined curved track section, said sections each comprising a pair of upright laterally spaced thin spring tempered metal rails, a plurality of rollers mounted between said rails and forming a supporting and conveying surface for workpieces having flat plate-like portions adapted to rest on the rollers, the rollers at said curved section forming a helically extending work-supporting surface, means for retaining workpieces being conveyed on said track sections against vertical displacement so as to prevent shingling thereof, said retaining means comprising at least one upright, thin, spring tempered metal rail having a lower edge extending above said rollers in generally parallel relation therewith, a support member for supporting said retaining rail on said track sections, releasable fastening means extending through apertures in said retaining rail and said support member, said fastening means, when tightened, being adapted to secure the retaining rail on the track sections in a fixed position, at least some of said apertures being elongated vertically relative to the track sections to permit selective adjustment of the retaining rail vertically at each track section relative to the underlying support surface provided by said rollers before the fastening means are tightened, the vertical spacing between the lower edge of the retaining rail and the underlying support surface being greater at said curved section than at said straight section and being selectively adjusted at each section so as to permit the workpieces to travel freely through said sections on said rollers while simultaneously preventing shingling of the workpieces at both track sections.