Winding apparatus for continuous strips of material

Apparatus for successively winding continuous strips of material into rolls, comprising a first upstanding guide frame comprising a first outer frame member having a rectangular opening a first inner frame member in the form of a shiftable rectangular bar extending into said opening and having a width less than the width of said opening so as to define upper and lower horizontal guide tracks with said outer frame member, said bar being longitudinally shiftable within said opening between a first position defining a forward vertical guide track between a forward end of said bar and an opposing end wall of said opening, and a second position defining a rearward vertical guide track between a rearward end of said bar and an opposing end wall of said opening, said outer frame member having a slot defining a forward extension of said lower guide track, first slide bearings rotatably supporting a plurality of winding shafts at one end thereof and being movable along said tracks from a roll forming station at said lower guide track to a roll removal station at said extension and to and from said upper guide track at empty roll stations via said vertical guide tracks as determined by the shifted position of said bar, and support means having movable means removably coupled to an opposite end of one of said shafts for rotatably supporting at least said one shaft at said roll forming station.