Back to results
US 4,489,635 AGranted
Saw mill improvements
OwnerWilliam B. Cooperinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerWilliam B. Cooperinventor
Estimating the term…
A saw mill for producing square cross section timber pieces is disclosed. The mill includes a log orientation mechanism having three, spaced independently operable log elevating units. The units include pairs of log supporting discs. The discs of one unit only are power driven to turn the log on its longitudinal axis. A log dogging, indexing and stabilizing mechanism includes a pair of carriage mounted units on an overhead trackway. One such unit carries a log supporting and precision indexing dog which is turned through ninety degrees of rotation between positive stops by a power cylinder. The same unit carries a log stabilizing dog above the indexing dog which is moved axially into and out of engagement with a log end face while being held against rotation by another power cylinder. The log orientation mechanism is compatible with state-of-the-art scanning and microprocessor devices and the log may simply be visually scanned during orientation by an operator of the mill.
In a saw mill for the production of square cross section timber pieces from rough logs, a log orientation mechanism comprising at least a pair of spaced orientation units each having laterally spaced rotatable log engaging and supporting parallel axis discs, the discs of one orientation unit having rough peripheries adapted to drive a supported log in rotation on its longitudinal axis, power drive means for the discs having the roughened peripheries, power means to independently raise and lower the discs of said orientation units, and a cooperative log dogging, indexing and stabilizing mechanism comprising a pair of spaced units having transport carriages guidingly engaged with overhead support rails for the carriages, and power means connected between the carriages to move the carriages toward and from the opposite end faces of a log resting on said orientation mechanism, a log supporting and indexing dog on one unit of the second-named mechanism, power means on such unit connected with the supporting and indexing dog to index such dog precisely 90.degree. between fixed limit stops, a stabilizing dog on said one unit above the supporting and indexing dog, power means on such unit to move the stabilizing dog on a linear path toward and from engagement with a log end face while precluding rotation of said stabilizing dog, and the second-named mechanism including a second unit spaced from the first unit of said dogging, indexing and stabilizing mechanism and having a freely rotatable log end face engaging dog coaxially aligned with the indexing dog.
In a saw mill for producing square cross section timber, a log orientation mechanism comprising a plurality of spaced orientation units, means to elevate and lower each orientation unit separately and independently, a pair of laterally spaced log engaging and supporting rotary disc elements on each orientation unit, power drive means for the pair of disc elements on one endmost orientation unit only of the orientation mechanism, the disc elements on the other orientation units being free turning.
In a saw mill for producing square cross section timber, a log supporting, indexing and stabilizing transport unit, said unit having an overhead carriage to travel on a linear guideway of the saw mill, a rotational log indexing dog on said transport unit adapted to engage one end face of a log centrally and axially, power means to turn the indexing dog one-quarter turn between spaced fixed stop elements on the transport unit, a log stabilizing dog on the transport unit spaced eccentrically to the axis of the indexing dog and having an axis parallel to the indexing dog axis, and power means on said transport unit coupled with the stabilizing dog to move such dog on a linear path toward and from engagement with a log end face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.