Method and apparatus for bundling and elongated article

An appratus for bundling a relatively long article with a bundling band, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a guide on and along which the article is to be supplied;
• (b) a take-up reel disposed dowstream of a downstream end of said guide for winding the article therefrom;
• (c) a tray disposed below said take-up reel for receiving the wound article;
• (d) a presser disposed above said tray and vertically movable toward said tray for compressing the wound article in a folded and flat posture;
• and
• (e) a bundling unit disposed near said tray for bundling the folded article with the bundling band;
• wherein said take-up reel is adapted to be driven selectively at high and low rates of rotation, and said tape-up reel includes:
• (1) a first disk mounted on a first horizontal shaft adapted to be connected to a drive which is switchable between high and low speed drivings, said first disk having a plurality of holes arranged at equal distance along an imaginary circle that is concentric with said first shaft and having at least one arcuate aperture extending along the imaginary circle between an adjacent pair of holes;
• (2) a second disk disposed behind said first disk and mounted on a second shaft in the form of a tube disposed concentrically around said first shaft, said second disk being thereby movale toward and away from said first disk, said second disk having a plurality of support rods on and along its peripheral edge at equal distance which are projectable from and retractable into the respective holes in response to the movement of said second disk, said support rods as projected being supportable therearound the article, said support rods as retracted being releasable therefrom the article;
• and
• (3) a third disk disposed being said second disk and mounted on a third shaft in the form of a tube disposed concentrically around said second shaft, said third disk being movable toward and away from said first disk and also rotatable around said first and second shafts, said third disk having on its priphery at least one clamp rod which is projectable from and retractable into said arcuate aperture and which is movable along said arcuate aperture toward and away from one of said support rods from clamping a leading end of the article at the beginning of the winding.