Automatic fence picket stock conveyor for fence picket pointing machine

In a conveyor for sequentially moving a plurality of elongated workpieces from a workpiece bundle to the throat of an upstanding workpiece processing machine having at least one laterally projecting longitudinally reciprocating pitman, at its upper limit, said workpiece bundle comprising a plurality of superposed horizontal layers of juxtaposed elongated workpieces, the improvement comprising:

• upright bundle frame means including a motor driven platform disposed laterally of said workpiece processing machine for receiving and elevating a bundle of workpieces a predetermined distance;
• stationary frame means extending horizontally between the upper limit of said bundle frame means and said workpiece processing machine for normally supporting a workpiece layer when deposited thereon;
• workpiece layer lifting means supported by said bundle frame means for lifting and horizontally supporting the topmost layer of said workpiece bundle, as a unit, in a plane spaced above said workpiece bundle and said stationary frame means;
• cam means overlying said bundle frame means and connected with said workpiece layer lifting means for operating said workpiece layer lifting means in response to said bundle frame means elevating said workpiece bundle said predetermined distance;
• drag chain means overlying said stationary frame means and extending into said bundle frame means for moving said horizontally supported workpiece layer laterally to an overlying position with respect to said stationary frame means;
• and,
• movable frame means within and supported by said stationary frame means and connected with said reciprocating pitman for reciprocating movement between said bundle frame means and said workpiece processing machine and lifting an overlying workpiece layer relative to said stationary frame means and moving said overlying workpiece layer laterally a distance equal to the transverse width of each workpiece of the workpiece layer during each movement toward the workpiece processing machine.